Amnesia Completa
by WishingDreamer5
Summary: HawkRider's Impossible Love Challenge. They say that love is friendship set on fire. Aqua can easily empathize with that. One problem: Terra only has eyes for someone else. Can one almost-fatal accident change everything between them or will these dark secrets only make things worse? And who's this mysterious guy that seems to show up everywhere? Terqua/TerKai/Vanqua and more... AU
1. Beginnings

**A/N: This is HawkRider's Hundred Words of Impossible Love Challenge. I hope I do well, especially because after _'Prankwar_,' this is my first multi-chapter Terqua story (_'Hard to Breathe'_ doesn't count here, because that's more of a collection of one-shots). The only tricky thing is that there actually is a time-limit to this challenge, so I hope I can finish this before August 31st. As of now, I'm not too sure of that, though. I'll try to actually make an AU story of this, so that makes things extra hard. XD There will be lots of flashbacks, too, because every chapter has to fit the prompt and that's why it can't always be in chronical order. Enjoy and don't hesitate to let me know what you think about it so far. :) I'll admit, this first chapter looks a little dull, but that's probably because it's the 5th time I wrote about how these two people met.**

**© WishingDreamer5, February 2012**

**Thanks: RoseOfADifferentColor, my brilliant beta reader.**

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><p>~ S<em>he remembered everything when it came to him. ~<em>

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><p><strong>1) Beginnings <strong>

It had been a bright and sunny Wednesday when they had first met. It was funny, really, as Aqua normally didn't remember first meetings. But then again, she shouldn't have been surprised, because she remembered everything when it came to him. It was a curse, one that she both hated (because it pained her that she couldn't change this fact) and loved at the same time.

She had been ten years old at the time. The day was cloudless, sunny and bright, perfect for playing outside. She'd been sitting on the swing, abandoned by her so-called 'friends.' That was when he had found her, looking at her worst and feeling weaker than ever. At first, the blue-haired girl hadn't even noticed him approach. It was when the swing beside her started moving slowly, making creaking noises, as if to protest against the weight, that she realized that she wasn't alone.

At once, she'd started panicking. _What should I do now? What if it's one of them again, seeing me like this, more miserable than ever?_

She didn't dare to look up; she knew she looked worse than ever. The blue-haired girl was sure this person couldn't see her face; she had bowed her head slightly, cerulean strands covering the side of her face. That was comforting, at least. However, the instant the stranger started talking, she could hear that her suspicions were wrong; this person didn't belong to the group of people that she wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Why are girls always crying?"

It was a _boy_, an unfamiliar one at that, which made her situation worse.

Before she could think of how to handle this sudden, unexpected situation, the boy continued where he'd left off, filling in the silence.

"I mean, it almost sounds like all the misery in the world's coming _your_ way."

Aqua sniffed, not replying. If this guy was here to make fun of her, then she would just ignore him.

"Okay, that was supposed to make you laugh…" He admitted, sounding more than a little embarrassed, as he scratched the back of his head. "So uhm… do you want me to leave?"

The girl thought about it for a moment, before slowly shaking her head. This action let more tears loosen from her eyes. They stumbled down her cheeks before she wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"Okay then… So why are you so sad? Did you fall off the swing?"

Aqua blinked, surprised. She chanced a look at him, only to see that the boy was staring right back at her. This made her blush; she swiftly looked away, becoming self-conscious. She surely looked awful. Those curious, inquiring azure eyes of his made it impossible to look at him. Still, she hadn't failed to notice that the curious boy was her age, maybe a bit older, with chocolate brown, spiky hair nicely framing his tanned face.

"N-no," she replied eventually, shakily.

"Oh…"

She could hear his curiosity, but he didn't pry, as not to hurt her feelings. Well, then perhaps he wasn't as much of a jerk as she'd thought…

"I-it's my friends…" Aqua started, shyly.

It felt strange to talk about this with a strange boy. Something told her that he would laugh at her, too if she told him everything.

"What about them?"

Once again, Aqua peeked at him from the corner of her eye. He was looking at her with mild interest now.

The young girl awaited his reaction as she softly replied, "They kind of… ditched me."

The boy's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "_Really_? But _why_?"

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Because they didn't want me to join them today. I don't think they like me."

"Why not?"

He sure had a lot questions. Aqua balled her hands into fists. Honestly, how was she supposed to know? It wasn't like they had told her.

But if she really thought about it, it wasn't hard for her to guess why they preferred to avoid her.

"I heard them call me too-too ugly and weird to fit in… And fake, too, because they don't believe that my hair is naturally blue."

The boy frowned at that. "That's just childish. I think you're better off without them. They don't deserve to be your friends. If they're this obnoxious to you, you can find better ones."

"That's easier said than done, you know…" How was she supposed to find a new friend, one that understood her and accepted her? Aqua was naturally shy, which didn't help matters much.

"It's not hard at all. All you have to do is open your eyes and look around. There are plenty of people who'll appreciate spending time with you. Trust me on this one," he said, sounding vaguely wise. Knowing that he had her attention, he added, "And you shouldn't listen to what they say. You're not ugly at all, even when you're crying. And if it's any consolation, I like your blue hair. It's cool."

Aqua couldn't believe her ears. Was this guy being serious, or was he just trying to cheer her up? Either way, he was being sweet.

"R-really?"

"Sure. Otherwise, I wouldn't have said that. I'm Terra, by the way. Terra Watson," he announced, extending a hand.

The girl took it without hesitating; she shook his hand with a light smile. "My name's Aqua Light."

"Aqua…" he said, thoughtfully, as if he was tasting it. "So, if you don't have anything else planned for today, how about we head over to the Marketplace? I heard Mr. Scrooge's giving free ice cream away, 'cause he came up with a new taste. Salty Sea-side, or something."

Aqua nodded. "Sea-salt ice-cream. I heard it was pretty good, but… Don't you have anything else to do? I mean I don't want to be a burden."

However, Terra waved it away, dismissively. "Nope, nothing at all. All my friends got the flu, so I'm alone too. I don't know about you, but I could use some company."

Talk about directness here...

"I'd love to."

Terra pumped his fist high in the air, as if he'd just won the lottery. "That's great! We should hurry up, though, because all the kids probably know about it by now. If we're too late, then we miss out on all the ice cream. And we wouldn't want that, now would we? C'mon!"

Before Aqua was aware of it, Terra had grabbed her hand, pulling her along as he quickened his pace. The sudden burst of speed almost made her lose her balance, especially since she was sitting on a swing, but Aqua didn't mind.

Terra's heart seemed in the right place, and today she'd gained a new, better friend. She shed all her fake friends in the process, feeling lighter than ever. He was certainly a keeper. Meeting him had been the first thing to go her way in quite some time.

Little did she know that this one meeting would affect her future in many, many ways, in good ways and bad. Today was only the beginning.

There would be a time when she'd even regret meeting him, but that day was still so far away...


	2. Log

**A/N: Wow, thanks a ton for the reviews, alerts and favorites so far! :D It's really great to know that you seem to like this story so far, even if it's only the first chapter. I hope I won't disappoint you guys. And I'm sorry for the long wait. This chapter takes place a few months after the previous one, somewhere in August, so Aqua's still ten years old and Terra's eleven. Again, it won't be that special, because I had the biggest trouble with coming up with something fitting for this prompt. Then again, I still have 98 chapters to make it up to you, right? Hope you'll all enjoy. :)**

**Thanks: HawkRider, Jcthegirl, Demmy, Terra ForceXIII, resistance123, ninachan13, MonMonCandie, Sabathiel, fujingodofwind, Chandramukhi, Olive Josh, The Trio of Twilight, and RoseOfADifferentColor, my brilliant beta.**

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><p>~ <em>"But don't let his sweet looks and innocence ever deceive you, 'cause he's a little devil once you really get to know him," he said, in warning. "Trust me on that one." ~<em>

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><p><strong>2) Log<strong>

Aqua rushed into Terra's backyard, despite the day being that special kind of lazy, sultry heat. It wasn't so much the heat that annoyed her, but the stickiness that came with it, thanks to Radiant Garden's humid climate. It was more than just uncomfortable; as soon as she exited her house, the back of her shirt would cling to her (almost desperately) within seconds, as if she'd stepped out of the shower.

When she spotted who she'd been looking for, she automatically halted, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

The ten-year-old girl blinked. _What in the world is he doing?_

At the moment, her brunet friend was dragging what seemed to be a rather heavy log from one side of the backyard to his destination, a huge tree on the other side of the yard, where several other building materials sat, shaded under the branches. It looked like he was planning to build something. Perhaps a doghouse? But he didn't even have a dog! Then again, with someone like Terra, one could never be too sure.

Another aspect of her friend that was mildly mystifying was his ability to work so hard when it was so unbearably warm out. Even from this distance, she could see how sweat had started to form on his forehead from all that exertion and yet, he didn't quit. Terra had also taken his shirt off, showing off his rake thin physique. He was even thinner than Aqua. It was hard to believe, but the bluenette knew that her eyes weren't deceiving her.

It was then that the boy noticed Aqua standing there. Cutting through the awkwardness, she scrambled to find her voice, greeting her friend."Hi."

"Hey," he greeted back with a lopsided grin. "Nice timing. Can you help me with bringing these logs over there? That would be really great."

With his head, he gestured to the tree, as to clarify.

Aqua hesitated slightly, before nodding. "Yeah, sure."

She made her way towards the materials, picking the top most log off the pile. However, she soon discovered that Terra had made the task look easy. Aqua had never thought that wood could be this heavy. It almost felt as though she was trying to carry two babies at the same time... as weird as that sounded. Judging from their weight, she would be feeling the ache of this for days. Oh well, if it made Terra happy, then she didn't mind just this once… But he'd better not make a habit of asking her for help. What was he trying to achieve with carrying those things and dumping them on the other side of the garden, anyway? Another mystery of the male mind, she assumed.

"Where's Ven? I thought he was here, with you?" She asked, glancing at him quizzically.

It was strange that their younger friend was nowhere to be seen, since usually, the boys were inseparable. Terra had known Ven long before Aqua, since they were neighbors. When Aqua had become friends with the older boy, she'd started hanging out with Ventus, (Ven to his friends,) too. From that moment on, the three of them had become joined at the hip, even though Ven was only seven years old. The age difference didn't matter however, the blonde was like the little brother they never had and Ven had obviously no problem with that. If anything, he liked the attention that he got.

In the mean time, Terra tried to free his hands, but he was having some difficulty with the extraordinarily stubborn log. Eventually he gave up and let out a long-suffered sigh.

"Nope. He called me just before you arrived and said he was sick, so he couldn't come here today."

"Oh…That's weird. I saw him yesterday and he looked all right. In fact, I had never seen him that hyper before."

And _that _said something. Ven had been practically _bouncing _the other day. The memory of that alone brought a small smile to the bluenette's face.

"Then I bet his laziness took over and the only reason he didn't come was because he didn't want to help me with these," Terra commented, grimly.

Aqua frowned. That didn't sound like the exuberant blonde. One could say a lot about the spiky-haired boy, but he would never let down his friends. Of that, she was sure.

"Ven would never do that…"

"That's what he _wants _you to believe, Aqua. But don't let his sweet looks and innocence ever deceive you, 'cause he's a little devil once you really get to know him," he said, in a warning tone. "Trust me on that one."

She pondered if he was serious about that or not, before posing another question, one that she'd been dying to ask since she arrived.

"...Just out of curiosity, what exactly are you going to do with those?"

"Build a tree hut, of course. What else? It's one of the few things that I miss from my old house. Who knows what kind of annoying brat is playing in my old tree hut now, doing whatever he likes with it…"

He clenched his hands into fists at that particular thought, before he allowed a small smile to appear on his face again. "But I guess that things like that happen in life and I can tell you this much; this tree hut is gonna be the best you can find in this world!"

Aqua watched him curiously, as he told her all about his big plans for the hut. For someone who was almost twelve years old, Terra surely acted like a little kid sometimes. Or maybe Ven was rubbing off on him, because his enthusiasm truly had no boundaries. It made his deep cobalt blue eyes gleam brightly, matching the beaming look on his face.

But wasn't that what she liked so much about him, anyway; his never dying determination to make all his dreams come true? His words always inspired her, too.

"Hey, let's take a break from this. I'll ask my mom if she wants to make us some lemonade. She makes the best lemonade on the planet!" Terra suggested, interrupting her train of thoughts.

Aqua nodded, relieved. He didn't have to say that twice; she'd seen enough logs for today.


	3. Ours

**A/N: There's _no_ way for me to finish this within a year, let alone within August, which was the actual deadline. XD Anyways, this chapter takes place shortly after the previous one. Hope you'll all enjoy. :)**

**A special thanks to: 2kitsune, Salve-SiS, Chandramukhi, Terra ForceXIII, HawkRider, Topazdragon98, KFArtyLover, Liv Kat, MonMonCandie, Jizzle Pop, Sabathiel, RitinhaMad, DragonEmerald98, and RoseOfADifferentColor, my brilliant beta.**

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><p>~ <em>"No…" Terra paused for a moment to recollect his thoughts, giving the perplexed girl a sidelong glance. "It's <em>ours_ now." ~_

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><p><strong>3) Our's<strong>

Thankfully, the air had cooled a good seven degrees,when Aqua stepped into the green, familiar garden, the grass under her feet soft and well recognized. At once, the girl was engulfed by the smell of freshly cut grass and other flowers. This however, was the least of her thoughts at the moment.

She was wondering why Terra had sounded so _weird _over the phone, so unlike his usual self…Hopefully, things were all right. She'd wanted to make sure right away just to ease her mind, but her father had demanded she finish her dinner before leaving the house. And since her archrival, broccoli had appeared on her plate that evening, it had taken her another utterly painful fifteen minutes of complying with her parents' wishes. It had been a real torture, to say the least.

_Thank goodness that's over, _she thought ruefully.

However, this time she didn't get the chance to meander in the garden, because suddenly, Terra appeared, as if out of nowhere, claiming her attention. "Hey there," he greeted, with his famous mischievous smile.

Well, at least he didn't look like he was upset, or something. That made the bluenette girl feel a little more relieved.

"Hey. Your mom said I could find you here. What was with that sudden call, is everything alright?"

An amused expression seemed to cross Terra's face briefly as he saw the worried look in her eyes. It wasn't something new to him; Aqua could worry about the most trivial things and to be honest, it was kinda... cute.

"Yes. Everything's fine, as always," he assured his friend. "What were you expecting?"

Aqua felt her face start to redden. "...Well, I uh-"

He shook his head. "Really, Aqua, you're such a girl sometimes. You worry _way _too much about everything... But there's something that I've got to show you and it couldn't wait."

This piqued the blue-haired girl's interest; her cerulean eyes were instantly locked with his cobalt. "Really?"

Leaving Aqua with no time to ponder her friend's motives, Terra grabbed her hand and promptly headed towards the big tree. Aqua didn't do anything to stop him, going along obediently. It was either that, or being dragged all over like a ragdoll.

_Hmm…I wonder where we're going? _

At that moment, there was only one possible answer that crossed Aqua's mind, and it was _not _in the slightest bit appealing. _Oh no. __No more logs, please let there be no more logs__..._

She was _so _not going to like this.

However, thankfully Terra had something else in mind. "Tadaah!" he cried, proudly, pointing upwards to the... tree?

"Uhm, Terra? That tree's nothing new."

He gave her a funny look at that. "_What_? No, not the tree, look closer," he hinted, mood hovering between amused and frustrated.

Aqua did as she was told, quietly hoping that this wasn't another prank of his. Goodness knew that the brunet was a master of pranks, as Ven could readily attest. Surely, she had never been a victim of his jokes before (and that fact surprised her, even if she kept quiet about it. There was no reason to poke a sleeping bear, right?

"_Oh!"_

Her mouth formed a rounded 'O' at the breathtaking sight of the huge, secured tree hut, barely visible between the thickly leaved branches. It seemed more like a little house, sized to children their age, than a tree house. It was the perfect hiding spot for any game and from this distance it looked even more spectacular.

"Wow!" She breathed, clearly in awe.

For an amateur, she had to admit that this was pretty nicely done. It made her even doubt if he'd done it himself. A couple of days ago, she would never have dared to dream of those random building materials transforming into such a masterpiece. Terra never ceased to amaze her.

"You like it now? Just wait until you see it from the inside. You're gonna love it," Terra commented. "C'mon."

It was only now that she saw the wooden laths that were nailed to the tree trunk, serving as a ladder to get to the new tree hut. Hopefully, weight wouldn't be an issue with two people climbing the ladder at once.

Terra went up first, only turning to look downwards once he had reached the top. "Hey, aren't you coming?"

Aqua hesitated slightly, but then decided to go for it. What could possibly go wrong, right? As cautious as ever, she climbed upward, shoes thunking softly against the wooden rungs. When she had finally reached the platform, the brunet boy extended his hand, pulling her steady. From the inside, the tree house was even bigger than she'd first expected. Six people could comfortably sit without invading each other's personal space.

She looked around, taking in her surroundings with mounting interest. The room looked quite cozy, a white coffee table stacked with board games and toys, a big wooden box and a handful of blue and yellow cushions, something Aqua was grateful for. Terra must have done it deliberately, knowing how much she loved the color.

Yellow and blue... Land and Water... Terra and Aqua...

"Well, what do you think?"

The bluenette shook her head, as to clear her thoughts, before replying. "It's great! I love it."

That made him chuckle.

"What?"

"I knew you would say that."

What, was she _that _predictable?

"So this little house in the trees is finally yours now, huh?"

"No…" Terra paused for a moment to recollect his thoughts, giving the perplexed girl a sidelong glance. "It's ours now."

As expected, Aqua's face lit up and she gave him one of her radiant smiles in return. For some reason, that one, four-lettered word made her heart flutter from happiness, leaving her insides with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Really, he was so sweet to her. The blue-haired girl couldn't fathom how her life would be without him.

"Well, this calls for a celebration. How does a glass of my Mom's lemonade sound to you?" Terra asked, breaking the silence.

"...Sounds good."

"That's what I thought you'd say." He headed towards the wooden box and took out what seemed to be a thermos and two colored glasses, one yellow and one blue.

_So that's what __he had hiding in there… Who would have thought?_

After returning to stand next to her, he put the items on the floor and poured a full glass of the sweet drink for them both. He handed her the blue glass and she muttered a quiet thanks.

"Cheers," he said with a small grin, while carefully raising his glass.

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><p><strong>AN: If this isn't true friendship, I don't know what is. :P The next chapter will (finally) involve little Ven, too. Reviews are appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think of this so far. :)**


	4. Program

**A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own KH, its characters, or the places, but I do own this story!**

**At first, I hadn't noticed the thing about the whale and the crab, either, until my younger sister pointed it out. I'm such an idiot. XD And this comment will probably make more sense at the end of the chapter. Anyways, this takes place a year after the previous chapter, Terra's twelve here, Aqua's eleven and Ven's eight years old. Enjoy. :)**

**Thanks: DragonEmerald98, Topazdragon98, ireneotaku, Terra ForceXIII, KFArtyLover, Jizzle Pop, HawkRider, DarkangelGuard77, Arashi-Storm-Guardian, Steph the bat 11, Taliax, k-k, and RoseOfADifferentColor, my brilliant beta.**

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><p>~ <em><em>"Okay, this is just plain… weird," Aqua finally commented, when she couldn't take it anymore. ~<em>_

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><p><strong>4) Program<strong>

Aqua rubbed her eyes, giving them a short break from the television's bright glare, feeling the overtures of a headache creeping forward. The longer she sat in front of the screen, the more exhausted she felt. She had been perfectly fine, that is until the cartoon sponge began cackling obnoxiously over the speakers. For the eleven-year old girl, the high pitched voice seemed to shake the room with each new peal of nasal laughter. However, she stayed quiet about it, for Ven's sake.

"Okay, this is just plain… weird," Aqua finally commented, when she couldn't take it anymore.

The blue haired girl was currently sitting between Terra, at her right, and Ven, on her left, snuggled into the comfortable brown couch. As the trio was staying at Ven's house, he was given the choice of television shows, and unfortunately for Aqua, this is what he had selected. Much to Terra and Aqua's collective displeasure, Ven had recently discovered that, as the youngest in their group, he had certain power over his friends, which he had used to his advantage on several occasions.

"What do you mean?" Terra asked after a stretch of pure silence, his eyes never leaving the television screen.

Apparently, the brunet boy had been so engrossed in the cartoon; it took him a moment to recall what Aqua had said.

"Well, let's just start with the fact that that crab over there-"

"Mr. Krabs," Ven immediately corrected, without missing a beat.

She blinked, giving him a funny look. "Yeah… that's who I meant. He's listening to music… with his eyes! That's impossible. In fact, this whole cartoon makes no sense. This… weird, energetic talking sponge-"

"His name's SpongeBob Squarepants," Ven said, interrupting her once again, but now with a slight frown on his face, as if her questions were intruding on something deep and philosophical.

It was either that, or he didn't like it when she got the names of his favorite characters wrong... She had to admit, _that _was mildly endearing.

Still, the bluenette sighed lightly, obviously not caring what the annoying sponge's name was. "Fine, then. _SpongeBob _lives in a pineapple and takes a bath, while they're living in the ocean! He also works at a restaurant… where he bakes burgers on a stove, _under water_! Which is very wet, by the looks of it. There is no way that can ever happen! And how in the world did that Krabs figure end up being the whale's dad?"

Terra smirked, before he asked teasingly, "Don't you mean _Pearl's _dad?"

Here, Aqua gave her best friend a peeved look, even though she knew that he was just messing with her. "Ugh, _Terra_! That's beside the point!"

He tried to suppress his smirk, as he ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Hey, it was either me or Ven who would say that to you eventually, so I just thought-"

"Could you two _please _be quiet for a minute? I'm trying to follow a program here," Ven interrupted, a little more pointedly.

He gave his older friends each an angry look, his hands clenched into fists. Little did he know that that pout had the opposite effect, making him look downright adorable. Aqua and Terra looked at each other, both smiling at the boy's attitude. It was too sweet for words, but if they told him that, Ven might just kick them out, on principle alone. And they couldn't have that.

"Sorry," they let out simultaneously

In a much softer tone, Terra continued, "Well, that's why it's a _cartoon_, Aqua. It's _not supposed to make sense_. Ever thought of that one before?"

"What? Terra, you're confusing me even more. I thought that cartoons were supposed to teach children about everyday life and other valuable lessons, but in such a fun way that they won't even notice it themselves," Aqua argued, her voice slightly muted.

And that was something that she didn't find in this cartoon...

She glanced at the youngest member of their group, just in case. However, he either hadn't heard them, or was choosing to ignore it.

The brunet boy raised his eyebrows at her logic. "No, they're not…what in the world makes you think that?"

"Terra, I'm _not _asking you again," the blonde's voice cut in again, irritated. This time, his voice had a sharp, warning edge in it that made Terra deflate a little.

The eldest male put his hands up in defence. "Alright, alright, I'll be quiet. Geez, I can't even prove a point here."

With a huff, he slumped back and crossed his arms over his chest. He continued watching Pearl throw a tantrum about how she couldn't go to some party with a loser. Aqua relaxed again and leaned back against the cushions. Terra was so typical; getting all defensive because of a stupid cartoon. And what was this Pearl whining about now? She really had a nagging voice. Aqua could hardly hear herself _think _at this point.

She watched the cartoon in complete silence for another moment, until another question rose to her thoughts. "So why does SpongeBob have a black wig on his head, in the shape of a banana peel?"

"_Aquaaa_!" both boys cried out, exasperated.

"_What_?" she cried, defensively. "I'm just genuinely interested here, that's all."

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><p>After a while, when the racket in the den had quieted to almost eerie levels, Ventus' mother decided to check in on the children. She found them snoozing on the couch, illuminated by the glare of the TV screen, the volume not disturbing them one bit. The trio was sleeping soundly, limbs entangled and sprawled over one another. It was a tangled group of blue, brown and blonde. They were just like little angels, looking too innocent for words now that they had quieted down. This sight warmed her heart.<p>

The woman smiled. _I need to take a picture of this!_

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><p><strong>AN: This actually makes me want to watch Spongebob again. And I've always seen Aqua as the one that would use common sense in everything. I hope it wasn't too weird. XD And let's make it clear that I actually love watching Spongebob; it always cheers me up (especially Patrick).**

**On a complete random note: a reader once pointed out to me that the show ICarly kinda ripped off my Terqua story 'Prankwar.' I'm talking about episode 3 of that show: 'iGet Pranky.' I don't know what to think of this, but it's freaky because I recognized some elements from it (prank glass, electric pen, glow-in-the-dark creme, etc.) and my story was posted months before that episode was aired. Ah well, maybe I'm just seeing things. And maybe, if you've read _Prankwar_, you should see the episode for yourself to judge my rambling. :P**

**Anyways, the first possible pairing in this story will be introduced next chapter. Reviews are appreciated. :)**

**Next chapter: _"Uhm, I don't want to spoil all the fun for you, but aren't you a little too old for this?"_**


	5. Hat

**A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own KH, its characters, and anything else having to do with it, but I do own this story!**

**Terra's thirteen years old here, Aqua's twelve and Ven's nine. My longest chapter so far (and the fastest update). Enjoy. :)**

**Thanks: Topazdragon98, Ruby Warrior Girl 730, JJ2020, HawkRider, Taliax, Zanzetsuken, MonMonCandie, and M. L. Ayala, my brilliant beta.**

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><p>~ <em>"I recognize a couple when I see it." ~<em>

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><p><strong>5) Hat<strong>

Okay, she'd seen a lot of things in her life, but this was new to her. To say that she was dumbfounded, was the understatement of the year.

"Uhm… Terra?" Aqua started carefully, biting her lower lip, as though she seemed to be struggling with something. She gave him a doubtful look, not sure what to think of this. "I don't want to spoil all the fun for you, but aren't you a little _too_ old for this?"

One shouldn't get her wrong, though; she really liked spending her time with Terra, especially now that he was attending high school and she was still stuck in primary school, with the mean girls that she had once called her friends. They were now avoiding her altogether (at least one thing that she didn't mind about this situation). But, to get back to the point she was trying to make, sometimes she wondered what it was with her brunet friend, because even Ven acted more mature than him at times… And _that_ really said something, since the blonde was four years younger than him.

The teenage boy raised a thin brow. "What? Nobody's too old for _magic_. Seriously, what is it with you and wanting to grow up so badly? Grown-ups have it much worse than us, I tell you. Mark my words, there's gonna be a day when you'll regret growing up…"

Terra took the black hat that was far too big for him (it fell over his ears) off his head and ran a hand through his spiky mane to get it back in model again. Next, he put it on the wooden table in front of him. By now, the table was cram-full with all kinds of "magic" stuff, from a simple game of cards that looked harmless, to the black magic stick. However, since the black hat was the biggest object among them, it stood out the most from all the other things. Aqua wondered where the brunet had gotten that thing from. It still looked pretty new, but the bluenette was sure that that wasn't the case. Maybe it belonged to Terra's father? Or great-great-grandfather…

Had they been just as weird as Terra was now? Perhaps it was a family thing. It was something that Aqua found herself thinkin a lot lately.

"I know, Terra. You've only told me that at least a thousand times before."

"And you still don't want to get it, do you?" he argued with a small shake of his head.

Deciding that this was a good time to change the subject, she asked her brunet friend, "So, are you gonna show me your magic tricks now, or what?"

This seemed to have the effect she was hoping for, seeing that he looked up from the table and his trademark grin was back on its place again.

"Alright, then. Let's start with the easy thing." Terra grabbed what seemed to be a black stick from the table and waved around with it like a real wizard would. At once, a bouquet of red dry flowers appeared on its end with a soft popping sound. He smirked triumphantly at his first victory. Next, the boy stepped forward and handed the flowers over to his only audience that sat across from him, at a safe distance. "Some flowers for the lady," he said with a wink.

Aqua laughed and thanked him with a sincere smile.

Next, he gave the black stick to Aqua to hold it. "You see this? It's a solid stick and it's not exactly soft and flexible, right?"

The twelve-year old bluenette shook her head, wondering what he was up to now. With Terra, one could never be too sure and the guy never ceased to amaze (or surprise) her.

"Not at all."

Terra took the stick from her again and continued, "But I can make it all elastic. Watch this."

The older male held the middle of the stick horizontally between his thumb and index finger and started moving it up and down, still holding only the middle of it. To Aqua's great surprise, the stick turned completely elastic in his hands, as its ends flapped up and down with each movement, much like the wings of a bird.

"Tadaah!"

Aqua's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe what she was seeing! How did he even _do_ this? It couldn't possibly be for real… right?

"Is that magic, or what?" He gave the bluenette girl a victorious look, but didn't give her a chance to reply. "But that's not all. I can make things disappear, like coins. Or…"

He tapped with the stick, which had mysteriously turned solid again, on the hat.

At the very same moment, Aqua spotted the white rabbit that tried to climb out of its black prison, but in vain. The animal was soft, adorably cute and furry and it made Aqua go "Aww."

"Oh, there he is. I was wondering what had happened to Ven's rabbit," Terra said, nonchalantly, although both of them knew how much fun he was having at the moment.

Who knows how much he'd been practicing these tricks in his free time, just to make it appear flawless to his audience. It was incredible, really. The perplexed girl started applauding, clearly impressed at her friend's spectacular performance. She'd never had the pleasure before to meet a real illusionist, but Terra really was good at what he was doing, up to the point that she started to believe that he'd been doing this for years now, just to surprise her. Honestly, if _she _liked it this much, then she could only imagine how much everyone else would love it... including Ven. It was obvious how much the younger boy admired Terra, so needless to say, this act might only make him see Terra as some sort of God.

Speaking of which, where was the blonde boy? Terra had said that he'd invited him, too. And Ven was never late for anything… However, before Aqua could worry more about this peculiar phenomenon, Terra had grabbed the cards from the table, ready to show her something else.

"Pick a card," he started, trying to sound mysterious. "Any card..."

The bluenette girl was happy to obey now and she did as she was told.

And so, the enthusiastic teen showed his female friend all kinds of magic tricks in order to entertain her with his black hat and it seemed to work, too. Cards, white rabbits that randomly appeared out of his black hat and made a dash to the corner of the room where it would be safe, a colored piece of cloth that seemed to be meters long (how had it even fit in Terra's pocket?), he showed her every trick that he knew and had practiced. She applauded for him time after time, which was accompanied with a good laugh. This was what made Terra think that this girl was the best audience he could possibly wish for. She gasped and laughed at exactly the right moments and complimented him on everything he did.

And little did he know that from that day on, the awestruck girl had started to love anything that had to do with magic, all thanks to him.

"And that's all of it. Hope you enjoyed the show," Terra eventually said, as he took off the tall black hat and bowed deeply.

This time, Aqua gave him a standing ovation and she admitted truthfully, "I loved it! It was amazing!"

Terra wanted to say something back, but at that moment, the door swung open and Ven came rushing into the room in a way that made his friends think that the blonde had been chased by the devil himself.

"Sorry I'm la-hate, guys," he panted, letting himself fall unceremoniously on the hard floor, while trying to catch his breath.

Terra and Aqua exchanged a meaningful look, but they didn't say anything yet. The spiky-haired boy would spill out everything soon enough, after all.

When the blonde had calmed down a little more, he explained to his perplexed friends, "Naminé… she needed help with cleaning her atelier. I couldn't say no to her this time."

Terra rolled his eyes, muttering to Aqua, "As if that's something _new_."

Naminé was a neighbor of Ven. She had long, glossy blonde hair and big, electric blue eyes that could make anyone do anything for her if she wanted. Her silent stare could be even more intense than Ven's, making anyone feel uncomfortable if she'd want to. And that was when they would spill out the truth to her…

Her white summer dress that barely reached her knees, made her look like a little angel and her sweetness only empathized that thought. The nine-year old girl loved drawing and painting and anything else that had to do with art, so her parents had made an atelier of the spare room in their house. Their house was big enough for it. It had been an early birthday present for their only child. She and Ventus were classmates as well and the spiky-haired boy seemed to have gotten a certain interest into the silent, angelic girl; whenever he wasn't around Aqua and Terra, they knew that he was either taking a powernap, or spending his time with Naminé. Of course, Terra loved to tease the younger boy with this, so it was only a matter of time when the brunet would start about it now.

"So, what did I miss?" their energetic friend now asked, looking from Terra, to Aqua and then back to Terra again.

He was oblivious to what the older male had just said, making Ven look the more innocent.

Terra deadpanned, "Everything. The show was over two minutes ago."

Ven widened his cerulean eyes in shock and disbelief. "What? It ended _that_ quick?"

"A show of at least ten minutes isn't quick at all. You're just too _slow_."

…Even though everyone knew that Ven was the fastest boy from his class. He was even able to beat Terra with racing sometimes. Whether the older boy let him win, like he always claimed, or he really was that good, nobody knew.

"But… but I didn't get to see anything. Do it again."

Terra crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his chin, eying the blonde stubbornly. "No way."

The tone in his voice made clear that he didn't want to discuss this, and Ven certainly wouldn't be able to change his mind, no matter how much he pouted.

"_Please_?"

"Nu-huh. You'll have to wait for the big show if you really wanna see it." Ven sighed, hanging his head in defeat. As an afterthought, Terra added, "And you can take your girlfriend with you, so she won't keep you away."

Ven, whose face at this point was quickly starting to match a tomato, immediately knew who Terra was talking about and he stuttered, "Sh-she's not my _girlfriend_!"

"I recognize a couple when I see it."

"_Terra!_"

The blonde nine-year old started rubbing over his reddening cheeks, as if he was trying to hide the fact that he was embarrassed. Not that it helped a thing. In fact, this only made Terra laugh harder and he ruffled the blonde's hair, like an older brother would tease his younger sibling.

"Cut it out!" Ven exclaimed in return, ducking under the elder boy's arm. However, he still couldn't avoid the attention that Terra gave him.

Aqua shook her head with a small smile. "You two would make the weirdest brothers."

This caused them to halt for a moment. "Hey… what's that supposed to mean?" Terra demanded, narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously, but Aqua merely giggled. If this didn't answer her question already, then she didn't know what did.

This time, it was Ven and Terra who exchanged a look. Ven shrugged, as if to say, _"Well, I have no idea why she's acting weird this time, but it's probably normal."_

"You're such a girl, Aqua," was all Terra said, an amused smirk tugging at his lips.

Ven nodded enthusiastically. "But you're _our_ girl, so I guess it's okay," he added.

"Uh… thanks, guys?"

"You're welcome," Ventus replied cheerfully, as he sent her one of his trademark grins. Then, he sobered up and started, "Terra… about that show with magic tricks…"

"I already said _no,_ Ven!"

"D'aw, _man_! Not fair!"

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><p><strong>AN: I would be flattered if you could tell me what you think of this chapter. ****:)**

**Next chapter: "_Your destinies have become intertwined a long time ago. I sense a strong bond between you two_."**

**That, and two new characters will be mentioned...**


	6. Fortune

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait! I'm a terrible updater *hangs head in shame.* ****Terra's seventeen years old here, Aqua's sixteen and Ven and Naminé are thirteen. Oh, they grow up so fast. XD Anyways, hope you enjoy this extra long chapter. My longest so far (and it seems that I keep saying that after every chapter LOL).**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, Scribbification, MonMonCandie, dragonheart01, HawkRider, italktotherain, MaroonAngel of Darkness, xsunny15x, TheSadisticRedWarrior, and M. L. Ayala, my beta.**

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><p>~ "<em>Your destinies have become intertwined a long time ago. I sense a strong bond between you two<em>."

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><p><strong>6) Fortune<strong>

The booming sounds of cheerful laughter and loud carnival music greeted the trio when they rounded the corner and arrived at the entrance of the annual fair. The positive vibes that were radiating from it was hard to miss and it only grew from here. As promised, it looked more spectacular than it did last year, thanks to a couple of newly added attractions. The delicious smell of popcorn, cotton candy, hotdogs and much more wafted their way, as though it was trying to tempt them into buying something. Honestly, if one concentrated hard enough, they could practically taste the hot waffles on their tongue. So if it tasted just as delicious as it smelled right now, then they had stumbled into Heaven itself.

"Oh boy, I can't wait to go on all of the attractions! The wilder, the better," Ventus cried, enthusiastically, sniffing in the mouthwatering scent deeply with his eyes closed.

He let out the most content sigh ever, as his stomach grumbled loudly. Terra and Aqua tried to suppress their laugh, but failed miserably.

"So tell me, are you so excited about the attractions, or the food?" Terra asked, jokingly.

The spiky-haired blonde opened his eyes again and frowned lightly. He was about to give a smart remark, when he spotted someone who made his mind go completely blank.

However, he recovered before any of them could comment on his zombie-like state. "Uh, I gotta go. See you guys later!" he quickly said, as he made an attempt to leave the two older teens.

"Hey, I was only kidding. No need to leave us," Terra protested, mildly surprised. If he had known that Ven would get upset that easily, he wouldn't have made that joke at all.

The brunet quickly grabbed the younger boy by his shoulder in a firm grip, so he couldn't escape. Aqua, however, nudged his elbow to get his attention and then pointed at the familiar figure that had caused Ventus to act like this. When Terra spotted the lonely girl as well, a look of understanding crossed his face and he let go of the boy's shoulder. Naminé, clad in a spotless white summer dress that moved gently in the wind, stood not too far away from them. Her back was turned towards them, so she had no idea that three pairs of eyes were currently looking at her. She was all alone, looking at the people on a rollercoaster from a safe distance. If Aqua didn't know any better, she would think that she wanted to go on the rollercoaster herself, but was too afraid to try alone. It was a beautiful, but somewhat heartbreaking sight, but the bluenette couldn't exactly pinpoint why.

Obviously, Terra couldn't resist teasing Ven once again, by saying, "Ah, this is what you've been secretly waiting for in order to dump us, huh?"

Aqua couldn't help but giggle when she saw the younger boy blush furiously, proving him right. Ven always did that whenever it was about the silent girl. He gave Terra an angry look, which almost managed to make the older boy feel uncomfortable, before making his way towards Naminé. They didn't stop him and watched the younger boy go, off to chase his own luck. Perhaps it was more fitting to say 'make' his own luck, because Naminé would never run away from Ven.

The blonde approached the girl carefully, and tapped her on the shoulder. Startled, Naminé spun around, but relaxed visibly when she saw it was only Ventus. After that realization, a radiant smile appeared on her pale but delicate face, which was hard to overlook, even from this distance (if Aqua had to take a guess, she would say it was probably that same smile that managed to drive her younger friend crazy). Soon enough, the two started talking animatedly about something.

Terra made sure that Ven went in a different direction, leaving them behind, before the teenager finally remarked, "So… Now it's just you and me, huh?"

"Guess so."

"Oh well, the more fun that is… and the more cotton candy we can buy for ourselves from the money we brought with us."

This statement earned him a laugh from the blue-haired teenager. "Is there anything else you ever think about, other than food?"

And he actually had the guts to tease Ventus about it? From where Aqua was standing, it felt a lot like the pot calling the kettle black.

"Of course," the brunet replied, almost indignantly. "I think about lots of stuff!"

Terra offered his arm for her to hold, which she gladly accepted, a small smile gracing her face. They continued walking like this, looking around them at all the lights and balloons and deliriously happy people. The excitement seemed to be contagious at this point.

"They would make a cute couple, wouldn't they?" the bluenette remarked out of the blue.

Knowing exactly who she was talking about, Terra hummed, showing her that he agreed completely. "Yeah, they sure would. It's getting a little creepy... almost as though they're made for each other, or something. Even though he'd never admit that in front of us."

"And whose fault is it again? You always pester him with the most trivial things! No wonder he never tells us anything anymore. I would've done the same if I had been in his place."

This made the brunet halt all of a sudden and he gave her a serious look. "What, are you trying to tell me that you have a crush on someone, too, now? And you didn't even tell me?"

Aqua's mouth dropped open, feeling her face heating up. Talk about misunderstandings!

"Wh- _No!_ Of course not. I was only being hypothetical."

"Oh, really now? Then why are you blushing?" he asked with a small smirk. Call him mean, but he thought that teasing Aqua was just as much fun as teasing Ventus.

The blue-haired teen felt her cheeks with her hands, discretely, and realized that he was right. She must have been as red as a cherry if he was saying that.

"Who is he? Is it-"

"There is no he!" she swiftly cut in, before he would start mentioning about every guy they knew.

To her great surprise, Terra's deep, cobalt-colored eyes widened considerably as he gave her an incredulous look. "Wait, is it a _she_? Why, Aqua, I didn't know you swing that way. Is that why you always hang out with-"

"Terra, stop it!" she cried, looking around her in hopes that nobody else was hearing the nonsense he was coming up with.

How he had come up with that conclusion was beyond her...

"...What? Can't you even take a joke?"

This made the young woman blink. When she recovered from her initial surprise, she shot him a deadly glare, before marching away from him with an angry huff.

That was when something peculiar caught the bluenette girl's attention and she stopped walking. "Hey, hold on," Aqua suddenly said, making him halt as well, and give her a questioning look. She bent forward slightly to inspect a poster on the nearby wall. "What's this?"

Terra followed her example and examined the poster as well, a frown appearing on his handsome face. It only showed the face of a rather old woman, who stared mysteriously into the blue-ish crystal ball that was glowing faintly. She held her hands near its sides, but wasn't touching the glass surface, as though they were the main reason that the crystal ball was floating around in the purplish mist surrounding her. On her index finger, there was a golden ring with a purple gemstone on it. The background was pitch black, making her appear a little scary. In bold neon letters, there was written underneath the scene, 'Let her Eyes tell you your Future.'

"Hmm... I don't know, but I have a strange feeling that I've seen this woman somewhere before…" Terra kept looking at the poster in deep thought, his cobalt blue eyes narrowed, as though he was trying to remember something that was in the far corner of his mind. Suddenly, he let out a loud cry, catching the attention of a few passersby, while nearly giving his best friend a heart-attack.

"What is it?" Aqua asked with widened eyes.

"Are you _kidding _me? That's the grandma of that cheerful red-haired girl that lives near the Market place! The girl's name always escapes me… Something with a 'K.' Kiara… No, Kari... Kiari?"

Aqua raised a thin brow, giving the male teen a funny look. "…I have honestly no idea who you're talking about."

"Oh..." He sighed, running a hand through his chocolate brown locks. "Well, never mind, then. Anyways, this is just another proof of how fake all of this is, really!" Terra growled. "I simply can't _believe_ that they try to fool the whole town this way! A fortune teller? This old lady? My foot! How is the owner of a _greengrocery_ supposed to tell your fortune? By asking the _cucumbers and tomatoes_?"

"_Fake_?" Aqua repeated, incredulously, almost as though she wasn't sure if she had heard that right. "So you don't believe in it?"

"Of course not!"

He said it in a way that almost sounded like, "_Please don't tell me you do believe in this bull crap!"_

"And that comes from the one who loved to show everyone his magic tricks not even four years ago, claiming that one's never too old for magic."

At that, his face reddened considerably from embarrassment and he looked away from his friend. "T-that was different."

"Oh, is that so?"

The brunet opened his mouth to reply, when he saw how an amused expression appeared on her face. Wait a minute... was she _mocking_ him?

"Well, I'm not going," Terra announced, determined. To emphasize his words, the brunet corssed his arms over his chest.

Aqua frowned, definitely not pleased at the male's unreasonable stubbornness. "Terra!" she scolded him.

_"Aqua!"_ he mimicked her, just as exasperated.

"But you have to go!"

"And why is that?"

"Because... I don't want to go alone," Aqua then admitted softly, giving him a pleading look.

Still, Terra wouldn't budge, no matter what she tried. At this point, talking to a wall was more effective. Seriously, he could be so stubborn when it came to things like this! What did it matter if he went with her? It wasn't like she was leading him to his death, or something. So what if he knew the woman? Couldn't he just ignore that, only for today?

"Come on, Terra. Let's just do this because it's _fun_. And afterwards, we can do whatever you like, okay?"

This was her last trump, so if he didn't say 'yes' now... Well, it did sound reasonable enough to her, so maybe he would accept her suggestion.

He thought about it for a good moment, the frown on his face lessening. That had to be a good sign.

"If you want to pay for my cotton candy after all this… then we have a deal."

This got her to smile. Leave it up to Terra to bring the subject back to food again. For someone who had such a sweet tooth, she wondered how it was possible for him to never gain any weight. He was a lucky guy.

"Alright, alright. Fine," the bluenette replied, messing up his hair, only so he would shoot her an annoyed look.

"That, and you need to come with me to the haunted house. I heard there's a haunted piano in it that keeps playing creepy medleys all the time. We've got to see that!" he replied, as he tried to fix his hair.

"...We'll see about that."

And so, they headed to the crimson red tent at the far corner of the fair. Strangely enough, there wasn't a long queue in front of that attraction, as opposed to all the other things around them. In fact, there was nobody to be seen near the entrance. If that wasn't a dead giveaway to the attraction's popularity - or rather, lack thereof - then Terra didn't know what was.

"Hey, I think she already left. Let's go back," Terra suggested, already turning around, but Aqua planted her feet firmly onto the ground and stopped him.

If he honestly thought that he could get out of this that easily, then he was certainly wrong!

"No, we won't leave. Let's get inside."

Terra's shoulders slumped at the bad news. The male teen let out a long-suffered sigh and followed her, albeit slightly begrudgingly. When they entered the old and stuffy tent, the first thing that they noticed was the fact that the place smelled like cats. Cats that definitely needed to be washed. Terra scrunched up his nose in displeasure, as he quietly took in his surroundings. Aqua could feel how he shuddered from disgust, but she simply chose to ignore her friend. For a guy, he could act pretty dramatic sometimes. The next thing they spotted, was an old woman, the very same from the poster, sitting behind a table that had a long white cloth draped over it. Her crystal ball that stood in the middle of the table was turned off. It made a dull impression and it reflected the darkened place around them.

"Ah, hello, my dears. You're here for me to tell your future?"

_No, we're here to fish for birds_, Terra thought sarcastically, but he kept his mouth shut.

Aqua nodded, as she replied politely, "Yes, ma'am. If it's not too much trouble."

Terra rolled his eyes and made a disapproving sound, but nobody paid attention to him. The old woman smiled, her warm, brown eyes twinkling in pleasure.

_I would be pleased too if I got money out of lying and making up random things. I can't believe that Aqua likes this kind of lame stuff. Must be a girl thing, or something, because it doesn't make any sense at all._

"No, no, not at all. Please, have a seat and show me your hand."

Aqua stepped forward and took place on the only vacant chair that was placed on the other end of the round table. Feeling excitement build inside of her, she put her right hand on the table. Since there was no other chair, Terra was compelled to stand behind his best friend. He made a bored, highly uninterested impression and that last part wasn't acted.

"Hmm..." the seemingly friendly woman started, thoughtfully.

"What do you see?" the blue-haired teen inquired.

_How about a freakin' hand? What else could she be seeing? Oh boy, here it comes..._

"I see a lot of things, and most of it involves a tall, handsome, brunet young man..." She briefly looked at Terra when she mentioned that. "That must be the same friend you brought here with you. Your destinies have become intertwined a long time ago. I sense a strong bond between you two."

Okay, now it was official: this old swindler made him gag. Tall, dark and handsome, really? What was the next thing she would say; that he would marry Aqua? _Puh-lease_! Just because they were here together, didn't mean that they were actually dating!

"Yeah, sure. Was that before or after you looked into your "_Ball of Wisdom"_?"

Aqua let out a shocked gasp and she swiveled around. "Ugh, Terra!" the girl hissed, shooting him a look of pure doom, before she turned back to the old lady again. "Please forgive my friend. I don't know what's gotten into him."

The old woman shook her head, chuckling at the situation. "What is your name, young man?"

"Can't you tell that by looking into my future?"

"Terra!" Aqua whispered disapprovingly, this time hitting his leg lightly at his rudeness.

"Ah… a non-believer. I've handled many of them in my life-"

_Yeah, I'm sure you've met more people with common sense, who didn't buy this act._

"-I know how to settle this. Let me tell you something by looking at your hand."

The brunet male crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his deep, cobalt blue eyes. He didn't have to think twice when he replied flatly, "No, thanks."

However, when he caught Aqua's dark, furious gaze, he knew that he had no choice this time. She sure could be scary when she wanted to. He let out a deep sigh and extracted his right hand for the woman, without as much as saying another word. The things you had to do for your friends...

"It would make things a lot easier for me if you took of your gloves, dear boy."

Terra's cheeks colored when he heard how Aqua tried to suppress her giggles, but he still did as he was told. The sooner they could get the hell out of here, the better.

"Let me see... You hate politics, or having a job and you're very gullible. You love anything sweet and when there's no chocolate powder left, you like to drink your milk mixed with honey, before going to sleep. Also, it seems that you find strength more important than flexibility and speed. Whether that's a good thing... I'm not too sure."

Terra's mouth fell open when she guessed all these things right, wondering how in the world _that_ was possible. However, he was quick to recover again.

"I bet you asked my mom for these things when she bought groceries from your shop the other day. Nice try, but I'm not falling for it," he declared fiercely. As an afterthought, he added, "And I'm _not_ gullible!"

Aqua let out a deep sigh and mentally face palmed. _Ugh, for the love of..._

If one believed Terra, then everyone was having some sort of conspiracy going on against him when that really wasn't the case. However, he also had a knack of believing the liars. All in all, the brunet was quite a handful. And yes, he actually _was_ extremely gullible, whether he liked that or not.

The fortune teller went on, ignoring his words. "To give you some advice for the future, I'd say that you have to watch out for losing things, because even that day that you'll lose _the time_, everything will change for you. And one day, you'll even get indirectly involved into a robbery. I'd say you have quite an action-filled future, even if you might not always remember the most important things."

_...The hell?!_ That woman was starting to sound like a fortune cookie and he was sorry to say that it wasn't even funny.

"…You can't fool me. And what is that even supposed to mean? You can't lose 'The Time'."

"I'm sorry. He's usually not this rude," Aqua swiftly apologized, as she cut in, before Terra would start cursing. "Thank you for your time."

For the sake of everyone, she decided to leave it at this, even if she would have liked to know a bit more about her own future. That was why they had decided to come here, after all. However, it seemed that she wouldn't have much luck with that today.

The old lady merely nodded, but the amused twinkle in her eyes was noticeable. "You're very welcome, young lady."

"Hey, what do you mean with that? Now _I'm_ the one to blame?" he exclaimed.

But Aqua didn't bother to reply to him and merely grabbed his arm to drag him out of the tent, before things got worse. Honestly, Terra was just too unbelievable for words sometimes…

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Terra now continued to walk out of the tent by himself, but Aqua stopped, facing the lady again. "Yes?"

"I would watch out for redheads if I were you."

Aqua frowned, but then nodded, not sure what to make of those mysterious words. But perhaps now wasn't the time to give much though to this strange warning.

"I will," she promised the lady, before Terra found it necessary to pull her completely out of the tent with him, making her bump into her best friend.

She was more than ready to scold the brunet for his behavior. For Light's sake, couldn't he just see the _fun_ in some things?

As soon as the brunet teen saw that murderous look in her eyes - that expression that always gave him the chills - he knew he was going to get it and he mentally prepared himself for the verbal attack (if it stayed at that)...

_Uh-oh..._

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><p><strong>AN: The next chapter is already typed up and only needs to be betaed, so at least it won't take me that long this time... (and every time I say _that_, the opposite happens.) So, any suggestions on how to make this a more enjoyable story? I'm all ears. ****:)**

**Next chapter: _Terra shook his head. "Why am I even friends with you?"_**


	7. And

**A/N: LOL, surprise! I swear, this story has its own will; pairing after pairing is introduced and the end of this story changes constantly. I'm still not sure what the end is going to be like and I'm the writer (not to mention that I already have an outline for the next 90 chapters...)! If it wasn't for that one character suddenly wriggling into this story... I can't even control my own fanfics anymore. -_-' I think I'll even manage to leave you guys shocked... Anyway, enough of my ramblings. ****Terra's still seventeen years old here, Aqua's sixteen and Ven's thirteen. Enjoy! :)**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness, xsunny15x, MonMonCandie, HawkRider, and RoseOfADifferentColor, my beta.**

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><p>~ <em>Terra shook his head. "Why am I even friends with you?" ~<em>

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><p><strong>7) And<strong>

"Well?" the bluenette said, rather indifferently this time.

Aqua tapped her feet and looked at her friend coolly, waiting for some form of explanation. Given they had just engaged in a rather nasty fight, it was a wonder she had wanted to see him at all. Not only had he treated Aqua harshly, he had taken out whatever issues he had on the poor old woman, who was only attempting to tell their fortunes.

As soon as they had stood outside of the tent, Aqua had scolded him for his behavior. Said brunet had countered with a few angry statements of his own and before long, a full fight had erupted between the two of them.

Hurtful words had been sniped from both sides, but Aqua still felt the painful sting of Terra's worst insult, calling her an "Over-obsessive control freak that always has to get what she wants."

Needless to say, that had been a little too much for the blue-haired teen to bear, so she'd left him behind, heading home instead. She hadn't mentioned this to Ven, simply because she didn't want to ruin his undoubtedly wonderful day with Naminé. Besides, something told Aqua that the blonde would find out soon enough, so why bother telling him now?

The tension charged silence hung between them like a thick curtain of smoke, as neither of them moved, the wall clock's ticking being the only noise in the silent kitchen.

Terra had to gulp, before gathering all his courage, breaking the awkwardness. It was one thing to look into Aqua's piercing blue eyes, but paired with her emotionless tone of voice he didn't exactly know how to proceed.

"Aqua, you know how hard this is for me…" The young man hung his head in shame, letting his chocolate bangs fall freely in front of his handsome face in order to prevent Aqua seeing his hangdog expression. He took a deep breath and restarted, "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you and that old lady, too. I know it was wrong."

_Now, too bad that he had realized all of this a little too late_, she thought, without vocalizing said thoughts.

It was silent for a moment, but then Aqua said, almost daringly, "And…?"

Her cerulean eyes seemed to glow faintly, as her gaze intensified. Terra risked a quick glance, and to his great fear, her lips were pressed into a thin line and she had _that _look on her face, caught between sadness and disappointment. And the latter was what stung the most. It seemed that this was going to be harder than he had thought at first. _Much _harder. God help him.

Terra's jaw flexed, and you could practically hear him grind his molars and roll his hands into fists. He didn't want to lose his best friend over such a silly argument. No matter their differences of opinion, it wasn't worth losing a best friend over.

So with that thought in mind, he went on, "It wasn't fair of me to blame you for ruining my day, because it wasn't true."

"And?" the pretty bluenette repeated, the tone in her voice eerily neutral this time.

"…And it was my own fault. Nobody else's," he admitted, feeling more and more embarrassed as time passed.

He was sure that his face closely resembled a cherry at this point. Then again, it was the least he deserved.

"Go on…"

"And I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you, or call you a… uhm, _you know_. That was just uncalled for."

Well, she was glad that at least, he had realized that. This, however, didn't automatically smooth over everything between them. She still had every given right to be livid with him. Although holding on to said anger was becoming more and more difficult, given the expression on his face. Terra was _utterly_ adorable when he wasn't even trying. He looked like a lost puppy. If only he knew what kind of impression he had on others, or, to be more specific, her.

"And…?"

"And…" Terra let out a deep sigh, his broad shoulders slumping as if he had lost a difficult battle. Slowly, he ran a hand through his chocolate-colored hair, before finding another response. "And it'll never happen again. Promise."

That last word made her feel as though something inside her broke; she blinked rapidly, as if to get the haze of tears currently filling her eyes to clear. Darn her and her hormonally influenced emotions. Still, she asked with a slight tremor in her voice, "And?"

It went back and forth like this for a little while, until eventually, the brunet decided to end it there. "What do you mean 'and?' I said everything I wanted to say and more!" Terra crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his chin at her defiantly.

To his great surprise, his outburst provoked not an angry reaction, but a small smile, brightening Aqua's face. "Oh, I just wanted to see how far you would take this."

At first, Terra blinked, utterly dumbfounded, before deflating slightly, shaking his head at her. "Why am I even friends with you?"

"Because you would be _so _lost without me."

"True… And nobody can bake cookies like you," he added quickly, as to cover what he'd previously said.

However, the opposite was true, since the blue-haired beauty let out a laugh. "I knew it, you glutton. There had to be a reason why you keep coming back to me."

In his defense, the brunet teen lifted his hands, "Hey, I'm not the only one who thinks that! Ven's even more of a glutton than I am. He just stays quiet about it. Especially when he's around you. That sneaky little-"

"I don't believe a word of what you said, but you're lucky that I like baking and, in this case, don't mind that you're only using me to satisfy your own needs." A quiet beat passed between them and the two stared at each other, before Aqua admitted, "Okay, that sounded so wrong!"

He smirked at her, surprised that she actually realized that that could be taken two different ways, since normally, the bluenette would say the most remarkable things without her even notice it. Needless to say, Terra and Ven would be laughing their butts off at such moments.

"Well, you should like baking when you're blessed with such a wonderful gift. You're even better than my mom sometimes and she owns a restaurant! I bet it runs in your family."

The pretty bluenette lifted a thin brow at that. "Then _you _must have gotten your Dad's cooking skills, because I've never, in my whole life, seen such a horrible cook."

That wasn't even a false assumption. It was a well-known fact that Terra's father couldn't even make tea without leaving a trail of burnt utensils behind him, and blowing up half of the kitchen in the process.

"Hey!" Terra protested loudly, before acquiescing. "That was mean, Aqua… and that's why you should bake more cookies now."

"…Nice try," she said with a smile, before sobering up again.

Aqua bit her lower lip in thought, her brows furrowed. Her friend seemed to notice this sudden, inexplicable (although not quite, because girls were weird like that. Aqua was no exception) mood swing, frowning in concern. "Hey, are you alright?"

She seemed to hesitate slightly, before treading carefully, "Terra, do you really see me as an over-obsessive control freak that always has to get what she wants? Be honest with me."

The brunet's eyes widened at the underlying reason Aqua was so upset. That was it? It seemed that his comment had left more damage than he had thought. Then, he decided, it was time to set things right.

"No, of course not! I only said that because… Because I was angry. Believe me, I didn't mean it. I was just looking for something to hurt you, and for that, I'm sorry."

At this point, Aqua was blinking furiously, her eyes downcast, so he took her smooth hand in his and squeezed it softly, making her look up. "You're sweet and caring, and I like you just the way you are. Don't let anyone tell you anything different and please, don't ever change, no matter what. Okay?"

To say that he was relieved when she smiled was the mother of all understatements. The eldest teen let out a relieved sigh and decided that now was the best time to change the subject, for both their sakes.

"So, about those chocolate chip cookies…"

"Terra…"

"_What?_ I really like them..."

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><p><strong>AN: I would really appreciate it if you could take a look at my new poll and vote, especially because your vote can probably influence a big part of the story (and the end that keeps changing every five minutes). And with a 'big part' I actually mean a _BIG_ part. XD That's all I'm going to say... ;)**

**Next chapter (which will be up in two weeks, max):_ _"Good thing you're not a judge, otherwise everyone could bribe you with chocolate… and you would get fat."__**


	8. Election

**A/N: I was allowed to vote for the first time too during this year's elections where I live, so I can imagine Aqua being frustrated at not being old enough to vote yet (I had the same thing two years ago). And leave it to Terra to only make her feel worse about it. :P ****Terra's eighteen years old here, Aqua's seventeen and Ven's fourteen. Enjoy! :)**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, resistance123, xsunny15x, MaroonAngel of Darkness, Taliax, Terra ForceXIII, HawkRider, and RoseOfADifferentColor, my beta.**

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><p>~ <em>"Good thing you're not a judge, otherwise everyone could easily bribe you with chocolate… and you would get fat." ~<em>

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><p><strong>8. Election<strong>

At the sudden rapping at her door, Aqua practically leapt from her skin, not expecting the sound in the slightest. The program she had been watching had been so engaging that the outside world had seemed to fall away, her surroundings inconsequential. The blue-haired beauty made a quick dash to the front door, attention still on the elections broadcast. Whoever was at the door wasn't nearly as important as the upcoming result announcement.

It was probably just her parents, coming home early because their movie hadn't been interesting enough to keep them entertained. What she didn't get was why they never bothered to use their keys. Why take them at all if they expected her to open the door for them every single time?

After throwing open the door, Aqua froze, surprised.

She blinked, staring up at the tall person towering above her. "Terra? What are _you _doing here?"

"You don't sound happy to see me," the brunet male couldn't help but remark dryly.

"That's not it… You just appeared out of the blue," she explained.

Her comment provoked a scowl from her handsome brunet friend. "I wasn't planning on it at first, but Ven's out with Naminé again, and I'm all alone."

"So then you decided to come and bug me?"

Terra frowned, looking jokingly offended by Aqua's statement. "_No_. So then I thought I should pay my dear friend a visit, because I haven't seen her in forever. But I didn't think she's too busy being a couch potato to appreciate this genuine gesture."

Aqua was silent for a moment, but then… "And I'm supposed to believe this story of yours, because…?"

Terra sighed, wearily, deciding to use his last trump. "…I have chocolate," he offered, showing the mentioned candy.

In his hands were two large bars of dark chocolate, Aqua's favorite, of course, wrapped in shiny silver foil. The blue-haired teen raised a thin brow at his suggestive tone that, despite everything, she had started to realize she secretly adored. For her, Terra had two sides; the thoughtful, silent and serious one that rivaled even her own. And then there was his mischievous side that kept everyone on their toes. In this case, the latter was painfully obvious.

"And you thought you could bribe me with that?"

He shrugged. "I can try."

She blinked once again, and then grinned. "Very well, then. You win."

With that, Aqua rushed back to the living room again, leaving Terra to make himself at home, shutting the door as he moved farther into the hallway. He pumped his fist in the air at his victory, before following her. As he entered the room, Aqua had already made herself quite comfortable on the couch. She tapped the empty place next to her, inviting him to sit down.

With a mild degree of dexterity, Terra vaulted the couch, landing neatly next to his friend, smirking at her irritated expression. If the cozy couch had been without armrests, Aqua certainly would have tumbled off, thanks to him. Aqua gave him a disapproving look, which he promptly ignored. In return, Aqua's eyes flicked upward, in a perfect eye roll.

This time, the brunet couldn't help but respond, "Good thing you're not a judge, otherwise everyone could easily bribe you with chocolate… and you would get fat."

Aqua let out a rather uncharacteristic snort. As if he actually cared about her gaining weight. Chances were he wouldn't even notice until she pointed it out to him.

"Very funny. At least I'd be a better judge than you. You would probably only believe the bad guys, as gullible as you are."

"That's not true!"

"Oh no? Remember that time that you believed Seifer when he told you Ven had stolen your football cards when it was Seifer and his gang all along?"

The brunet male simply chose not to reply to that, but his lack of response said enough to Aqua.

"Yeah, I already thought so. And that's the least of it."

After a moment of silence, Terra started again, "…But imagine what would happen to the world if we decided to team up."

"Some team we would be, disagreeing with each other constantly."

Terra hummed as he grabbed the remote that was sitting between them.

"Hey, I was watching that!" Aqua protested, giving him a sharp look when he zapped the program away.

Right at that moment, some comedian said, _"My wife always says, 'You're all work, work, work and no play. I always end up on the second place.'__ However, is that really the case? No, it's not. The car comes on the second place."_

"Oh." Terra paused, giving her a sidelong glance. "What was it about?"

"The upcoming election, what else?" she replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Actually, it was. How could he have missed all of that when you saw those huge billboards in practically every corner of Radiant Garden?

He snorted at that. "You really _are _boring, you know that? Why would you care about stuff like that when you're not even old enough to vote?"

Aqua stared at him, her mouth forming a round 'O' "…I'm not even dignifying that with a response."

"Why not, can't think of a reason of why you're torturing yourself by watching this?" he asked teasingly.

As expected, the bluenette was ready to prove him otherwise. "You do know that the outcome of the elections will have an enormous influence on your life, right?"

"So?"

"So..." she started, before she realized that no matter what she would say, Terra would just come up with something else to tease her with. Her shoulders slumped. "Never mind already."

After that, the silence between them returned once again, until something marched to the front of Aqua's mind. "Oh, before I forget…" She fished something out of the pocket of her faded blue jeans. "I made something for the three of us. I already gave Ven his earlier today. Here."

She handed him a star-shaped object, tinted orange and glowing slightly as it hit the gold sunlight that fell through the windows.

As soon as the cool piece of metal touched his hand, he started investigating it, turning it over and over in his hands. "Nice handiwork," he noted, the incoming sunlight making it glimmer even brighter.

If he didn't know any better, he would have assumed Aqua had caught some sunbeams in the golden glass. And something told him that she'd worked really hard on this one, even harder than she normally did for all her other little projects. She certainly had surpassed herself this time, what with all the details and the thin, silver lines intersecting each other at the right places. Even the emblem in the middle of the star looked like it was crafted by experienced hands. It had the shape of a heart, but not quite. Terra recognized it from the different sketches in Aqua's notebooks.

"What's this for?"

"It's a lucky charm, or more of a Wayfinder, for the three of us," she explained to him, digging out her own charm. Hers had blue glass as opposed to orange and from this angle, it looked as though she had managed to capture the ocean in her Wayfinder. "This way, we'll be connected and we'll always find each other, no matter what."

"And that way, Ven will never be able to escape from us when we need his help," Terra added with a lighthearted chuckle.

"Yes, that, too," she admitted, smiling softly.

"So what color does Ven have?" he questioned.

"Green."

For some reason, this seemed to surprise the older teen. "Oh, I thought he would have red."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well…" Terra shifted slightly in his seat, as though he needed to sit differently to formulate the right answer. "To be honest, I actually thought that you had based your idea on the three basic colors; red, yellow and green."

Now that Aqua thought of it, it could have been a good basic. However, the idea that was behind these colors was much deeper than what Terra had in mind.

"Oh, no. I actually based it on the one of, if not _the_, most important trinity in the world."

This piqued Terra's curiosity and he focused on her, as if urging her to elaborate. Naturally, Aqua took this chance to steal the remote back, returning to her political program, without her friend noticing.

"Which is…?" The young man prompted, pushing slightly.

"Light, Water and Life... Though the latter can also be seen as Air. A planet isn't healthy if it misses one of these elements."

"So… I represent Light?"

She nodded. "Yeah, although you could easily represent Earth, too, what with your name and all."

Terra nodded thoughtfully, slowly running a hand through his thick brunet locks. He stared at his Wayfinder again and rubbed his thumb softly over its surface. "That's pretty cool... And it makes sense, seeing as you're water."

"Yeah, the hair and the name says enough already, doesn't it?"

This earned her a chuckle. "That too. But you also mingle perfectly with everything, while still managing to make it balanced and radiant." That answer brought a blush to her cheeks, but Terra remained oblivious. "Ven's gotta be Life then, with the never ending amounts of energy he possesses."

After that, they turned their attention back to the television again.

A bald, rather scary-looking man with glowing, yellow-ish eyes, which they recognized as their current ruler's rival Xehanort, said, "_No, it is anything but wrong that I have denied that I am not against the ban on the embargo."_

What in the world was that even supposed to _mean_? Terra wondered, perplexed. He caught the bluenette frowning in confusion, before he stated, "Say what you want about our ruler Ansem's rival, but at least _he _stands for everything he better _shouldn't_ have said."

Aqua laughed at that, giving him a playful shove on the shoulder. "At least he's honest about his intentions. Can't say the same about _some of us_ here. But yes, this is why Ansem always wins. No other man is better for this place than him."

"True…"

"So I take it that you're going to vote for Ansem?"

Terra raised his eyebrows. "Of course."

Aqua nodded, satisfied. "Good."

Soon enough, the peaceful silence returned in the living room again, until Terra finally noticed something peculiar.

"Hey, who changed it back to the snooze patrol?"

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! :) I couldn't resist adding the Wayfinders, but it will have a more important role in the future. It might take me a while to update again, due to life being busy and all, so I hope you'll have patience with me. And as a quick reminder: the poll is still open. You may never know how much that one extra vote could mean... At the moment, Terqua is the most popular choice.**

**Next chapter (which will introduce a new person and perhaps even a new pairing):_ "Oh, where are my manners. I guess your beauty made me forget about everything else."_**


	9. Water

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay! Excuse: School, as always. So I made an extra long chapter to make it up with you guys. Terra's 18, Aqua's 17 and our new guest is 17 as well. ;) I don't really like how this chapter turned out, but I hope that somehow, you guys will. Enjoy! :)**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, Clogallie, MaroonAngel of Darkness, HawkRider, Terra ForceXIII, Atem's Sister Atea, Walker of Nothing, and M. L. Ayala, my beta.**

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><p>~ <em>"Oh, where are my manners. I guess your beauty made me forget about everything else." ~<em>

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><p><strong>9) Water<strong>

"Oh yeah? Take_ this_!"

Expertly, the raven-haired young man flung the contents of his bottle of water at Terra, who, already having anticipated the move, immediately ducked to avoid getting wet. However, at that very same moment, Aqua decided to show up and she was less lucky.

Unsuspectingly, she rounded the corner, stepping into the garden and before her brain could register that something was off, she started cheerfully, "Hey Terra, did you-"

She shrieked in mid-sentence when cool water hit _her_ straight in the face instead. The handsome culprit's bright blue eyes widened in a mix of surprise and pure panic, as he wondered where this young woman had suddenly come from. He bit back a curse, seeing the damage he'd caused with one simple move. It had never been his intention to get innocent people involved in this, but it was the question if she would believe him, too or not.

Terra's cobalt blue eyes widened at the sight, too. Without any hesitation, he grabbed the now empty bottle out of the other young man's hands and hit him on the head with it as hard as he could. Of course, it didn't hurt, but it was enough to get his attention.

"Look what you did, you _idiot_! She's all soaked now!"

The male teen didn't know how quick he should apologize and some color touched his cheeks. His razor-sharp eyes seemed to glow faintly, as he swiftly cried, "I'm _so_ sorry! I didn't see you, honestly! You just appeared out of the blue… no pun intended." Terra let out a rather uncharacteristic snort at that, which earned him a glare from the stranger. "What? It's true, isn't it?"

Despite everything, Aqua wore the beginning of a smile on her flawless face and she muttered a quiet, "It's okay," as she slowly brushed her wet hair that now felt twice as heavy out of her face, so she could look at the stranger with the striking blue eyes.

Honestly, she didn't really mind. Her hair wouldn't need extra attention, because it always dried the way she wanted to, without it becoming static (unless it was winter, that was when it became über uncooperative). It was just that the timing had been a little… annoying, for a lack of better word. Not to mention the fact that the air felt considerably colder now. The bluenette shivered involuntarily as soon as that thought came into her mind. Besides, it wasn't like this guy had meant to do this on purpose, to _her_ at least. Things like this could happen, especially when you seemed to be a trouble-magnet like she was.

"So uhm, what's your name?" the stranger asked now, genuinely interested. Or perhaps it was one of his attempts to lighten the mood, or something.

Whatever the case, the blue-haired teen found herself automatically replying, "Aqua."

The bluenette's gaze travelled briefly to Terra, but the brunet chose to stay in the background this time. Just who was this energetic male teen, anyway? He reminded her a little of Ven, except that this guy's hair was black as the night and slightly older.

"How… fitting," he spoke.

"Because of my blue hair or because I'm soaked?" Aqua wondered, to which he grinned apologetically.

He scratched the back of his head, looking slightly uneasy under her steady stare. "Yeah... about that, I'm really sorry!"

"Hey, it's fine," she assured him with a small smile. It was actually kind of... cute how he looked so guilty. Exactly like Ven. "I'm not hurt, so it's okay, I guess."

"No!" he swiftly cried, making Aqua raise a thin brow at his sudden cry. "I mean…" He paused, as though he was trying to find the right words, before a goofy grin appeared on his face, making him appear much younger than he was. For a brief moment, she thought that this meant trouble, but then... "Hey, how about one date to make it up to you?" he said, lifting only one finger to emphasize his point.

Well... that was honestly the _last_ thing she'd expected to hear.

Aqua blinked until his words sunk in and then blushed, stuttering, "Huh!? Oh! You mean- No... Th-that's not necessary. Besides, we don't even know each other..."

"Oh, where are my manners. I guess your beauty made me forget about everything else." He smiled, while extending his right hand to her. "The name's Zack Fair. I'm Terra's cousin, by the way."

"Cousin?" This time, Aqua gave the brunet a questioning look.

Terra had never mentioned anything about this Zack to her, so she had always assumed that he didn't have any cousins, just like her. This was quite a revelation.

Terra nodded, letting out a quasi-sad sigh, as though he was about to tell her a tragedy. "Yeah, I'm ashamed to admit that we're actually family, but unfortunately, it's true."

"What? You're not serious, are you?"

Terra ignored Zack's pouting (the latter starting to do squats for some unknown reason), continuing like he'd never been interrupted, but now with a small smirk adorning his face. "That's why you've never met him before. I wanted to keep it a secret from everyone, for my dignity, you know."

"Hey!" Zack cried, pretending to be highly offended, as he jabbed the older male squarely in the ribs.

This resulted into a new round of play fighting. Unsure of what to do, Aqua kept looking from Terra to Zack and back again. Now that they were standing so close to each other, it was easy for the bluenette to notice all the similarities between them. They both had broad shoulders and were tall and quite muscular. Only their eyes were a different shade of blue (Zack's eyes were considerably lighter, but not necessarily less beautiful than Terra's, whose eyes she'd never be able to forget). Their hair color was different, too, albeit both of them seemed to like spikes. Terra was also taller than his younger cousin, but something told her that Zack would catch up on him soon enough.

When they seemed to become aware of the fact that the blue-haired beauty was giving them a funny look, they both stopped, as if caught red-handed.

The raven-haired male took this moment to look at his watch. "Well, nice meeting you, Aqua and once again, sorry for that. It was solely meant for this gullible guy here," Zack explained, as he took the empty water bottle out of Terra's hand and rapped him on the head with it.

"Shut it, Puppy."

Aqua let out a laugh at that. "Puppy?" she questioned curiously.

"Yeah, that's his nickname."

"Apparently," Zack added, scratching the back of his head again. It was only then that the bluenette noticed that he was doing squats... _again_. Before she could give this any further thought, however, the ebony-haired teen continued, "So… that's a date, right?"

The moment all the attention was turned to her again, Aqua started feeling uneasy again and she blushed. "Oh, I couldn't possibly… I mean, I don't want to be any bother."

From the corner of her eyes, she could tell that Terra had started smirking. Why was it that he always found it funny to see her transform into an awkward turtle?

"No bother at all. Well, that's settled, then, right?" he said with a wink.

_Wait... what?_

It seemed that she couldn't get out of this one, especially when Zack used the Puppy-dog eyes on her. So eventually, she just accepted his offer, much to the raven-haired young man's joy. How could she possibly say no when he was looking at her like that?

"Nice! I gotta go now. Training starts in half an hour and I'm already late," Zack said.

"Training?" Honestly, Aqua really started feeling dumb now. The more Zack told about him, the more questions she had.

"Yeah, fencing and stuff," he explained. "And Angeal doesn't like to wait. Man, I've got a long way to go if I'm gonna become a hero."

"Oh…" She guessed that this Angeal had to be his instructor, or something.

"Well Aqua, I'll see you tomorrow then! I'll pick you up at seven pm. Don't worry, I'll ask Terra where you live later," he called with a laugh, before hurrying away.

"But..." Aqua sighed, because Zack was already too far away to say something.

Not that it would've helped, anyway.

Terra was the first one to break the silence that had set between them as soon as they were alone. "I didn't expect you'd say yes," he admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. "You never cease to amaze me, Aqua."

"Well it wasn't like he left me with a choice," she reminded him immediately, feeling as though she had to defend herself.

"That's true. That's why he always seems to get what he wants; girls think it's too adorable to stop him and apparently, you fell for his charms as well." Aqua opened her mouth to protest, when Terra swiftly added, "What was it that you wanted to tell me before you met Zack, anyway?"

At once, she broke out in a radiant smile, remembering why she had bothered to come here in the first place. "Guess what?"

Instead of guessing, Terra immediately replied with, "What?"

"I just got a letter... and I'm accepted at the conservatory in Destiny Islands!"

She could hardly believe it herself, because it was the place and university that she'd wanted to study since she was fifteen. Destiny Islands was known for its tropical beaches, nice climates and the best universities in the world. It was one of the best opportunities she could get at this age. The university she would attend in a few months had a certain status. This was almost too good to be true.

Terra's eyes widened, before he smiled at her. "Really? Congrats! I knew you would be accepted."

She gave her friend a flat look. "Terra... You don't even like my taste of music, or the sound of my violin."

Terra entertained her with a much-hurt expression. "Yes, I do! You shouldn't just start assuming things like that. It's offending... By the way, I need to show you something. It's inside."

This seemed to catch her interest. "Oh?"

"Come on."

With that, the tall brunet turned and headed for the house. Curiously, Aqua followed him to the kitchen and noticed that his parents weren't at home at the moment. When she entered the clean room, somewhere she was quite familiar with, he didn't waste any time and showed her a round-shaped pie with an extremely scary face. The eyes and opened mouth were purple, but made in such a way that it looked as though it was grinning evilly at them. Terra had put it on the dinner table and it seemed to have cooled off now. For a moment, she wondered why he'd bothered to make that when Halloween was still too far away. Though she had to admit that he really was good at making scary, angry faces. This one was probably going to give her nightmares, too.

"What's the occasion?"

"Well, since you didn't make anything for me when I asked you to yesterday, I tried to make you a blackberry pie with a smiley face, but… The result was the creepiest thing _ever_ to come out of an oven…"

Aqua burst into a fit of giggles, but when she saw Terra's face, she straightened again (albeit with some difficulty). "That's okay, Terra. At least you tried. Besides, it's the gesture that counts and if it tastes okay, I don't see anything wrong with it. Who cares what it looks like? It's not like it's coming on the television, or anything, right?"

This seemed to cheer up the brunet, if only a little. He nodded and said, "Well, there's only one way to find out if it looks as bad as it tastes, right?"

With that, he took a knife from one of the kitchen drawers and cut into the pie.

"God, that's about the scariest thing I've ever seen in my whole life," he muttered under his breath, as he tried to put the first piece of pie on a plate. "I've seen clowns who look more charming than this thing. I created a monster..."

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><p>The next day, Aqua let out a highly frustrated sigh, her eyes never leaving her reflection in the mirror, as if that would ruin everything she'd done to look nice so far.<p>

"Do I look fat in this dress?"

The question sounded uncertain and this time, Aqua did look at Terra, but via the mirror. The brunet man would lie if he said that this wasn't without a doubt the scariest minute in his whole life, as Aqua's razor-sharp eyes seemed to bore right through him. Right through his soul, even.

He didn't have to think twice to answer that question. "No, of course not! You're not fat at all."

Seriously, what was it with girls and constantly thinking they were fat? Why was it that they couldn't see the same things that guys saw when they looked at them? Snorlax was fat, pigs were even fat, but Aqua was anything _but_ fat.

Still, the slightly nervous bluenette didn't seem to be fully convinced yet. Terra watched her quietly from where he was sitting on her desk chair, his chin leaning against his hand and elbow propped up on the wooden desk. Aqua was wearing a flattering, light blue summer dress that complimented her form and matched both her eyes and her hair that looked glossier than usual. The clothing item was sleeveless and reached just above her knee, but the best part of it was the way it made her creamy shoulders look. If the brunet had to use one word, he'd describe her as absolutely stunning. Too bad that she hadn't realized that herself.

"Maybe I shouldn't have eaten that much blackberry pie yesterday," she muttered under her breath, as she still looked at herself from different angles and put a hand against her stomach.

Terra suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and asked instead, "So what's with the dress? Is it for the date with Zack?"

She nodded. "Yes, but it doesn't look as good on me as I was hoping."

The brunet let out a frustrated sigh and he ran his hand through his spiky locks. "Aqua, would you please stop this nonsense already? You look gorgeous and you'll most likely catch every guy's attention with it, including Zack's."

He had never seen this insecure and vulnerable side of Aqua, but it made him feel… uncomfortable to say the least, even if he wasn't the one who was being so unsure of himself. It didn't fit her at all and quite honestly, it was totally uncalled for, too. Aqua was a beautiful young woman. Anyone who couldn't see that was as blind as a bat.

"Do you… mean it, or are you only saying it to ease my mind?"

Terra's breath caught in his throat at that moment. Aqua looked so _beautiful_, and the way she stared at him with those big, questioning eyes…

At that moment, the doorbell rang and she let out a startled gasp. "It's _him_!"

She was about to leave, when Terra quickly got up and grabbed her wrist. "Wait."

Aqua turned, giving him a questioning look. "What is it?"

"You uh… you look really nice. Zack's going to have a hard time with keeping his eyes off of you."

Terra offered her a faint smile, which she returned, before quickly making her way to the front door. The brunet, however, didn't follow her immediately and by the time he was halfway down the stairs, he could hear Zack's eager voice saying, "I saw this flower on my way here…"

"Oh! Thank you, that's… really nice of you, Zack."

The brunet couldn't help but grin. His cousin really could be a gentleman, he had to give him that.

* * *

><p>The local community seemed to notice her right away, and they all made the impression to be mildly interested that she was with Zack. Aqua could feel their eyes on her back and it was a little unnerving to be honest. Apparently, the raven-haired young man was quite… popular with the townsfolk here (especially among the female population) and quite frankly, Aqua wasn't surprised at all.<p>

"Shall we sit over there? It's pretty quiet in that area," Zack suggested, giving his date a questioning.

So he had noticed all the staring, too? Most likely. After all, it was hard to miss; no matter where she looked, she'd always catch some people watching them and then quickly pretending that they hadn't noticed the couple. In another situation, this would have made her laugh.

The bluenette nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. "Sure."

Soon enough, the two were able to order their drinks and Zack, being the gentleman that he was, let her choose first and insisted on paying everything.

"So," Zack started. "You know that I like fencing, but I don't know that much about you. Tell me more about yourself."

Aqua was glad for the offer of a topic to talk about, so she started explaining him about her passion for music. He seemed to latch onto everything she told him and proved to be a great listener.

They filled the silence with small talk for the rest of the day, at first hesitant, but soon enough, Aqua began enjoying herself immensely. Actually, it was impossible not to have fun with someone like Zack. The young man was witty, smart, and optimistic, and he seemed to have this kind of energy that never extinguished.

"He really likes you," Zack suddenly said and Aqua had no idea who he was talking about.

"Who?" she asked, confused, frowning lightly.

"Terra, of course. The way he acted when I accidentally threw water at you… Almost like I had crushed his biggest Dream, or something."

Despite everything, Aqua couldn't help but smile. "Well… we've been good friends for quite a long time. It shouldn't be that strange, right?"

Zack thought about it for a moment and then nodded, his trademark grin once again returning on his face. "Yeah… I guess that must be it." After a while, he added, "If you don't mind, I'd like to be friends with you, too. I promise I won't spill water on you anymore."

Aqua had to laugh at how solemn he sounded. She was starting to like him more and more. "Sure, why not."

Still, what the energetic young man had said about his cousin set her to thinking. Before this, she had never imagined how her life would be if Terra was her boyfriend, but now, she found herself wondering what it would be like. Would Terra act differently to her in that case than he did now? How often would they date? Where would he take her? How would he treat her?

…But most importantly, why was she even thinking about this kind of stuff?

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><p><strong>AN: I need to share something with you guys: a month or so ago, I got an email alert, meaning that someone had favorited me, so I went and thanked them for that, telling them that I wasn't sure which one of my stories she'd read, but I was still happy. A few seconds later, I got a reply, saying, "Oh, crap. A mistake. I was supposed to block you," which was the first thing she'd _ever_ said to me. That was honestly one of the most random yet hilarious things that ever happened to me on this site. XD**

**Anyways, the idea of Aqua being a violinist is "borrowed" from and inspired by Alacquiene's one-shot Violinist (pairing: Aqua/Demyx, and she makes it possible). If you haven't read that yet, I highly suggest to check it out. She's an amazing writer, but I'm sure most of you know her already. I had some trouble choosing the right instrument for her; it would either be the piano, cello, harp or violin... Eventually, I thought that the violin suited her the most.**

**Next chapter:_ "That should be Ven, checking up on you and telling you how much of an oddball you are."_**


	10. Back

**A/N: Two updates in one week!? Is it possible? :O I actually wanted to wait with updating until at least a week had passed, because who knows when the next update will be... but I couldn't bring myself to do that. :P**

**This takes place the day after the previous chapter. Terra's still eighteen, Aqua and Zack are seventeen, Ven's fourteen. ;) Enjoy reading!**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness,** **Amulet Misty, AquiXia, HawkRider, Walker of Nothing, Mt401, ****and M. L. Ayala, my beta. :)**

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><p>~ <em>"Well, that should be Ven, checking up on you and telling you how much of an oddball you are." ~<em>

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><p><strong>10) Back<strong>

Aqua sat on her bed, behind Terra, who wasn't even mildly surprised at the fact that he was surrounded by blue, from the duvet cover and curtains, to the carpet. After all, he'd been here countless times before, so he was used to it all. Even the lingering smell of vanilla and something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on was more than familiar for him. The brunet had turned his exposed back towards his best friend, his shirt lifted up by himself and showing his sinewy back, which made it considerably easier for Aqua to treat the fresh cuts that marred his otherwise flawless skin.

"If I didn't have you…" the brunet started, sighing gratefully, but trying to sit still for Aqua's sake.

"Then you'd be hopelessly lost... or dead at this point. Honestly, Terra, why don't you ever watch out? How old are you, five?" she muttered under her breath, disapprovingly. "I'm going to put some alcohol on it now, just to be sure."

"Fine, mother, if you must," Terra said jokingly. At that same moment, though, his back tensed and he suppressed a groan of pain. "Ow! Can't you be more careful? I'm already in enough pain as it is."

"…Sorry."

The bluenette swiftly changed hands, fearing that she might hurt Terra with the slightly coarse one. It was pretty much the only disadvantage of being a violinist.

Despite the situation, she couldn't help but smile. Terra had just told her how exactly he'd gotten these cuts in the first place. Apparently, he'd showed Ven some new trick on the younger teen's skateboard. Unfortunately, it hadn't ended too well for Terra and he'd fallen, scraping his back against the pavement in the process. The bluenette could tell that he was pretty embarrassed about it, especially since both Ventus and Aqua had seen him in this state (not to mention the random passersby), but she guessed that she was the only one he trusted enough to take care of him right now.

It didn't take Aqua too long to notice how muscular he'd become throughout the years. She could still remember how meager he'd been eight years or so ago. The blue-haired young woman knew that he was doing fitness in his spare time, among other things. Well, the results were definitely showing. She also tried not to focus on how soft and firm to the touch his skin was, and warm...

Drat, too late for that now.

The blue-haired beauty blinked, trying to clear her head. However, at that moment, she was granted with another topic to think about, as Terra suddenly asked her, "How was your date?"

At once, her head snapped up, even though Terra couldn't see her (he did feel the sudden movement, though, because the bed sagged slightly). "What?" she asked, surprise clear in her voice.

His voice sounded eerily neutral and patient, as he continued. "Your date with Zack. Wasn't that yesterday?"

"Oh, yeah… It was fun."

"Fun?" At this point, Aqua could practically feel how he raised a finely arched eyebrow.

"Yes, fun," she iterated.

"I'm sorry, but could you be a little bit more precise?"

Aqua sighed lightly, wondering what in the world he wanted to hear from her so badly. "Well, I'm sure you already know this, seeing that he's your cousin, but I think he's a nice, polite and funny guy and I liked how everything went so smoothly," was pretty much all she said.

"Are you going to see him again?"

"That depends..."

Terra had a feeling that his best friend purposefully kept it vague, although he didn't know why. He was about to comment on that when the doorbell rang downstairs.

"Well, that should be Ven, checking up on you and telling you how much of an oddball you are," Aqua spoke, after a short, awkward moment of silence.

Almost as though that was a sign, Terra got up from the bed. He gave her a flat look, as he adjusted his black shirt properly so that his back was covered again, hiding the scrapes that were taken care of by deft hands. "Not that that's necessary. You keep reminding me of that constantly."

"And you know what I would do if I were you?" she said, choosing to ignore his last comment.

"What?"

"Clean up your room as soon as you're back home. You could easily break something if you fell over any of the junk that you're keeping there," Aqua remarked.

Terra frowned, running a hand through his chocolate-like spikes and letting out a frustrated sigh. "There's no junk in my room. You're just jealous that you don't have such cool things. You only have... blue." To emphasize his point, the young man looked around.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

"It's just a guy thing you wouldn't understand, so I'm not going to explain it."

Aqua rolled her cerulean eyes, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "Whatever you say, Terra."

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><p><strong>AN: 90 more chapters to go! :D**

**Next chapter: _"By giving you this locket… I promise I'll never forget about you and all those great memories of us together. I'll always cherish them, no matter what happens."_**


	11. Locket

**A/N: Three updates in one month? *Gasp* I think that's a personal record I won't break anytime soon. XD (Then again, the chapters are getting shorter and shorter, so maybe I shouldn't be too proud of myself lol). Anyways, ****Terra's nineteen and Aqua's eighteen. I know their relationship seems all cute now, but just five more chapters to go and the drama can begin...**

**Thanks: Walker of Nothing, AquiXia, TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness, HawkRider, xsunny15x, ****and outofthesun, my beta. :)**

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><p>~<em> "By giving you this locket… I promise I'll never forget about you and all those great memories of us together. I'll always cherish them, no matter what happens." ~<em>

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><p><strong>11) Locket<strong>

The silence in the room was almost as palpable as a thick curtain of smoke. Terra took another deep, steadying breath. He was extraordinarily nervous and to be honest, he had good reason to be. His cobalt blue eyes were fixed on Aqua and he waited impatiently for her to open the little present he'd given her for her eighteenth birthday. In that instant, he couldn't help but wonder why she always took her sweet time doing so. Or maybe it was a girl thing he would never understand? Because if he had been in her place, he definitely would've shredded the gift wrap seconds ago. It was almost as though she was doing it on purpose, just to see how far she could go until he would explode.

Just when he let out a frustrated sigh, Aqua finally opened the small box in her hands and gasped when she realized what was in it. For a moment, she was at a complete loss of for words, which was more than evident, because all she could do was stare at the present. Slowly and oh so carefully, as if it could break at the slightest movement, the bluenette took the gift, a silver locket with a star-shaped pendant, out of the box. It was so new, untouched, pure even. It even glistened when it hit the light. The blue-haired young woman knew though why he'd chosen astar-shaped pendant, showing once again how much he really knew her.

"Open it, there's more to it," Terra said, desperately trying not to sound impatient.

His friend did as she was told and saw that the left side of the pendant was empty. The other side, however, contained a single photo: a small portrait of Terra. Judging from his muscular form, it was a recent photograph, too.

"So you'll never forget me when you go to uni," he explained softly.

Aqua looked up at him, blinking a couple of times to get rid of the sudden tears that threatened to spill. She was so incredibly moved by this gesture that she feared that if she started crying now, she wouldn't be able to stop.

She let out a rather shaky laugh and stepped closer to the brunet to hug him. "Silly. How could I ever forget about you? Besides, it's not like we'll never see each other again."

The dark haired young man tightened his hold on her, while whispering, "True. I'll visit you at least twice a week, but still. You may never know…"

At this, she managed a laugh. "Well, that's even more than you do now. But thanks. I appreciate it."

Terra rolled his eyes, before he got that serious look on his face again. It seemed that he didn't like the fact that they both went to different universities just as much as her. Whereas she was heading off to Destiny Islands, Terra already went to the local university.

He stepped away, so he could look at Aqua. "By giving you this locket… I promise I'll never forget about you and all those great memories of us together. I'll always cherish them, no matter what happens."

It was silent for a moment, as Aqua let those words sink in, but then… "Terra, is that supposed to console me? You don't even remember what you had for lunch today!"

Terra opened his mouth to protest… only to find out she was right, unfortunately. "That's different," he muttered.

"I'm sure it is..." She hesitated for a moment, before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

Aqua wasn't only thanking him for the present, but for everything he'd done for her and with her. It seemed appropriate in that moment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****Next chapter: _Terra raised a finely arched eyebrow. "…You _can't_ be serious about this."_**

**That, and the introduction of two new characters... sort of.**


	12. Can't

**A/N: Happy early Valentine's Day! :) My apologies for the continuous lack of Ven action as of lately (and for the lack of any action, really). I can assure you he's alright, just too busy with spending his time with Naminé (and finishing projects for high school). All silliness aside, when I planned out this story, I hadn't really included Ven, because I wanted to focus more on the pairing(s). Little did I know how popular Ven really is among readers, so I'm fixing things now. :P Also, it's hard to believe that I started this story one year ago. At this rate, I'll need another 7.5 years to finish it. :( Anyways, ****Terra's twenty and Aqua's nineteen in this chapter.**

**Also, please note that the cover for this story is drawn by the amazing Acquia (a.k.a. Alacquiene on this site). Please don't use it without her permission. :)**

**Thanks: HawkRider, TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness, Amulet Misty, xsunny15x, Jizzle Pop, GeNiuS11GlaSSes,** **Walker of Nothing,** **and M. L. Ayala, my lovely beta reader. :)**

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><p>~<em> <em>Terra raised a finely arched eyebrow. "…You <em>can't_ be serious about this."_ ~_

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><p><strong>12) Can't<strong>

Terra's mouth dropped open and his jaw practically hit the floor at what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes, just to be sure that he wasn't hallucinating. Apparently, he really wasn't, because nothing changed.

"Okay, what is _that_?" he asked baffled, as he pointed at a small blue figure that was lying peacefully on the red loveseat, curled up and all.

From this distance, it looked as though it was a rather furry cushion, except for the fact that it was _breathing_. It wasn't that peaceful anymore, either, as it started to stir. Something told him that he had to watch out for whatever that creature was. That shade of blue couldn't possibly be a healthy color.

"Terra, meet Stitch, my new pet."

Holy hell. So _this_ was what she'd asked him to come for? Was it too late to turn around, leave and never look back again? Judging by Aqua's instense stare, it was...unfortunately.

Terra raised a finely arched eyebrow. "…You _can't_ be serious about this."

"Why not? I don't see the problem."

Then she was obviously as blind as a bat. Seriously, what was wrong with this woman? He had already found out that women just didn't make sense. Men should stop trying to understand them if they wanted to be happy. But this... He honestly had no words for it. Conclusion: Aqua was weird. Really, _really_ weird. On the classic scale of one to ten, she would easily score a twelve.

By now, the creature seemed fully awake. It let out a strange, content noise as it stretched, before _sitting up_. Was it actually supposed to be able to do that? Terra was about to ask that when the animal suddenly turned its head his way. His beady, midnight-colored eyes stared up at him curiously. The brunet, however, was starting to feel slightly uneasy under that stare.

Instinctively taking one step back, he asked to its owner, "What the hell is this thing, anyway?"

Because he couldn't get anything logical out of it to save his life.

"I will not tolerate that kind of language, Terra!" the bluenette said sternly, berating him. "You'll have to respect my dog, or you can go away."

The dark-haired man let out a rather uncharacteristic snort at that. No matter what way he looked at it, that…living mutant thing wasn't a dog. He knew that Aqua liked the color blue (practically everything in her bedroom was blue), but now she was going a little too far, to the point that it was getting kind of creepy. Don't get him wrong, he did like Aqua. It was just that sometimes, she was such a _girl_.

"Isn't he adorable?" she cooed.

"Uh… _no_. It looks like an alien experiment gone horribly wrong."

This earned him a hard smack on the arm and he didn't want to admit it, but it hurt. "Oh, come _on_. I know you'll like him. It just takes a little time to get used to each other."

_Yeah, a few years will probably be enough_, he thought, though he wasn't stupid enough to voice his thoughts.

Terra gave her a flat look, but decided not to comment on what she'd said. Instead, he went for, "So why did you buy this sad excuse of-" Terra stopped when he saw the dangerous look Aqua was giving him "Uh…a dog?"

"Well, I'm feeling a little lonely sometimes. Especially after I moved away from my parents," Aqua replied truthfully. "I know it was my own choice not to have roommates, but that doesn't mean that I never miss some company."

"Why in the world do you feel lonely when you've got me?"

"Aww." She reached forward to ruffle his hair. Whether it was out of affection or because she wanted to annoy him, he wasn't sure. "That's sweet, but you're not here all the time. Besides, Stitch likes it when I play on my violin for him. I can't exactly say the same about you."

Terra narrowed one eye. "You're weird."

"Not as weird as you, Mr. 'I-Put-My-Books-In-Alphabetical-Order'," the bluenette countered with a small smile.

"Wha-? That's...you- _shut up_!"

Suddenly, Stitch decided to launch himself at Terra from the loveseat. It happened so fast that the latter couldn't brace himself for it, even if he thought he was going to be attacked. All he could see was a small whirlwind of blue. For some reason, Stitch climbed on his shoulder and licked his face. Before Terra could utter a cry of pure horror because of how warm, wet and soft the huge tongue was, the pet tugged at his hand and landed back on the loveseat again.

Terra suppressed the shivers that ran down his back, as he wiped the saliva overload off his face. "Ugh, my mouth was still open, you idiot!"

He growled something unintelligible under his breath. That was when his eyes fell on his orange-golden Wayfinder that dangled at Stitch's arm. The same good luck charm that Aqua had made for _him_. Terra's hand automatically went to his pocket, which was now empty. How had that thing taken it out of his pocket without him noticing?

"Huh? When did you- Give that back!" Terra stepped forward with his hand outstretched, to take back what belonged to him, but Stitch jumped off the loveseat, away from him and out of his reach. Turning to his friend, the brunet asked, "Did you just see that? And you call that _sweet_? There's nothing sweet about a thief!"

Aqua merely shook her head and extended her hand to her new pet. "Here, sweetie. Now be a good boy and give the Wayfinder to me. Yeah, don't mind mean old Terra here. He's a bit of a jerk sometimes-"

"Hey!" Terra exclaimed indignantly.

Aqua continued, like she hadn't been interrupted. "But he has a good heart and I wouldn't want to live without him."

Terra blinked at that, but he seemed satisfied. "Okay, I'm not complaining about that one."

Stitch hesitated slightly, looking from Aqua to Terra, and back to Aqua again, before dropping the star-shaped object in the bluenette's hand.

She smiled, petting him affectionately. "Ah, good boy. See, it wasn't that hard." She handed the Wayfinder back to the brunet that was watching the dog with a slight frown. "There you go, Terra."

Terra shook his head. "You're already sounding like you're his mother."

"Well, in a way, I am."

He honestly didn't know how to react to that, so he decided to change the subject. "...Right. And the reason you asked me to come here was…?"

"You'll have to baby sit him while I'm going to see someone."

"Oh, Aqua's got a date?" he asked teasingly.

As expected, she blushed slightly at the implication. "No, I have a meeting with Xehanort. God knows what he wants now, or how long I'll be away. I can't leave Stitch all alone in here, right?"

Xehanort had been her instructor for years now. He was also the head of the university's orchestra and quite frankly, he was scary as heck, even though he was in his mid-twenties. Terra had the "pleasure" of meeting him once...and he was putting it lightly when he said that the guy was still giving him nightmares from time to time. So if that wasn't enough reason to be nervous about the meeting…

Aqua, in return, liked to tease him and say that Xehanort looked a lot like him, save for the hair and the slightly darker skin. Needless to say, Terra himself didn't see that comparison.

"Alright, then, but only this once." To emphasize his point, Terra lifted a finger.

Aqua smiled and hugged him. "Thank you, Terra. And don't worry, you don't have to do it alone. Ven can pop up any minute now."

"You don't trust me alone with your pet, do you?"

"I have my reasons for calling Ven, yes..."

"Hmm... I haven't seen him in a while, actually," Terra said slowly, as he thought of the last time he'd spent some time with their blond friend. "Any idea if he's still alive?"

"He was here yesterday to meet Stitch, but he couldn't stay for too long. He's pretty busy with school and other things." Glancing at the clock, her eyes widened in alarm. "Gosh, I should really go now, I'm already late. See you soon...hopefully."

Terra walked her to the door and closed it after her. The room had become really silent and Stitch's curious stare was kind of...unsettling. It was as though he was secretly planning something for him. Something that Terra would later get blamed for, anyway.

The brunet looked at Stitch. "So... you like it here?"

Stitch tilted his head to the side and blinked in response.

"Okay..."

_Ven, you better hurry. This is getting awkward... And I'm talking to an animal who can't talk back_, he thought with a frown.

Then again, so did Aqua and she seemed alright. Still, he was more than relieved when a few minutes later, a hard knock sounded at the door. _At last!_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: C'mon, guys. I couldn't resist. Stitch is just too huggable. :P And don't we all secretly want such an adorable pet? (As long as he behaves and doesn't bust things, that is. XD )**

**Funfact: I put all my books and games in alphabetical order, too. It saves time. And yes, I know I'm weird. XD**

**Next chapter: _"I believe that 'chilling,' as you put it, does not involve breaking into my apartment and falling asleep on the couch after doing God knows what," she reminded him sternly._**

**Seems like things got serious now. :P**


	13. Phobia

**A/N: Short chapter is short (which is the main reason why the story got updated this fast). This takes place a year after the previous chapter, so Terra's 21 years old and Aqua's 20. Enjoy. :D**

**Thanks: **Walker of Nothing, Taliax, MaroonAngel of Darkness, littlemissmusicdummy, xsunny15x, Amulet Misty, HawkRider, **and RoseOfADifferentColor, my lovely beta reader. :)******

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><p>~<em> <em>"I believe that 'chilling,' as you put it, does not involve breaking into my apartment and falling asleep on the couch after doing God knows what," she reminded him sternly.<em> ~_

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><p><strong>13) Phobia<strong>

Aqua sighed lightly when she entered her apartment, seeing the familiar young man lying on her couch much like he owned the place. He was petting Stitch, who was lying quietly on Terra's stomach, giving off the softest of purrs. Both seemed content and despite the situation, Aqua couldn't help but smile and think how cute it was to catch them like this.

It was really endearing to see how the once oh so tough Terra turned into the biggest softie around her pet. Even though the brunet never admitted it, he'd started caring deeply for Stitch and it seemed that the feeling had become mutual. To be honest, even Aqua didn't always spoil the blue animal as much as Terra did. That should explain why Stitch always changed into a hyperactive little monster whenever her friend showed up. Too bad that she didn't have a camera with her now...

After putting the shopping bags in a fairly safe corner, Aqua put her hands on her hips and started earnestly, "Terra…"

Terra sat up when he heard her voice, leaning on his elbows, startling Stitch in the process. Without acknowledging Aqua, the pet jumped off Terra's chest, skittering away to sulk in a dark corner now that his favorite pillow had disappointed him.

"You don't sound that happy to see me," Terra noted, rubbing over his chest where Stitch had unintentionally hurt him when he'd catapulted himself off the brunet.

Aqua ignored his comment. "How did you get inside, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm just awesome like that." For that, he received a look of pure skepticism, Aqua going so far as to cross her arms. After a beat of silence, he added, "And I made a replica of your key when you lent it to me the other day."

"_Terra!_" She grabbed the nearest pillow and smacked him on the head with it before he could brace himself for it.

Seriously, what had happened to the idea of granting her some much-needed privacy? She wouldn't actually be surprised if he walked in on her one day while she was changing clothes or something… The thought alone was alarming enough for her to be able to withstand the pleading, puppy dog look he was giving her. He and Zack were the best she had seen at imitating an abandoned puppy, forlorn expression and all (although Ven was getting pretty close, too). Perhaps it was a family thing.

Eventually, when Terra noticed that his silence wasn't going to save him, he said, "What? I thought you said I was always welcome to chill here?"

"I believe that 'chilling,' as you put it, does not involve breaking into my apartment and falling asleep on the couch after doing God knows what," she reminded him sternly.

"…It doesn't?" he said, quasi-surprised.

Aqua resisted the urge to bury her head in her hands. Honestly, he was just pushing her buttons, testing to see how long it would take for her to crack. Well, she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

"You know, you really should find a job."

His face fell at that. "I can't. I've got Ergophobia; fear of work."

"Yes, I know what that is, Terra… But that's not a good excuse to be lazy. What happened to the hardworking Terra who would never turn down a chance to prove how strong and determined he was?"

"If you must know, he got traumatized by a creepy guy named Xehanort," he said jokingly.

"Ugh, why do I even bother…? By the way, I got something for you. I saw it in the window and I just couldn't resist buying it."

Aqua walked back to the shopping bags to get Terra's little present.

"Ah, I see that your ancient girl-instincts struck again?"

"Very funny," she said sarcastically, as she tossed him the package in question.

Terra reached out and caught it, surprise written across his face at the fact that she'd bothered to get something for him, too. He didn't waste any time in opening it, but as soon as he saw its contents, a cobalt blue shirt with a hawk on it, his excitement quickly ebbed away.

Terra gave her a flat look, which she answered with an innocent one of her own. "It matches your eyes," she noted, as if she had no idea why he would give her that look.

"No, you just bought it because you still don't want to forget that stupid hawk that pooped on my head the other day," the brunet deadpanned.

"…Yeah, that too," the bluenette admitted, a mischievous glint evident in her eyes.

"Aqua!" he exclaimed indignantly, provoking a hearty laugh from his blue-haired friend.

"I can't see why you're so moody. Don't you know that it brings luck to you when a bird poops on your head?"

"Yeah, that must be why I failed the test I had the next day," he muttered, while secretly thinking of a way to get Aqua back for this...

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! ^_^ ****Next chapter, another new (and slightly important, may I add) character will be introduced.**

**I have no idea when I'll update next, but here's a preview: _Gah, I sound like a love struck schoolgirl… Can't be thinking like that._**


	14. Bath

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of update, as usual. New excuse: I was trying to finish other stories first, so I can spend more time on this one. XD Anyways, this takes place a year after the previous chapter, so Terra's 22, Aqua's 21 and our new character is 24. Age-wise, I've almost got them where I want them to be in the story. Also, please note that whenever I mention Xehanort, I'm talking about "the apprentice" Xehanort (but then in an AU role), not the old, bald guy (although he will still make an appearance in the future).**

**For those who were wondering what the two were playing, here's a link to the first piece (Summer; Presto, 8:15 - 10:56): /watch?v=fT_AyiwTfP8  
>Second piece (Habanera, 0:00 - 2:46): watch?v=BOx8B1WSFJQ**

**Thanks:** Walker of Nothing, TopazDragon98, Amulet Misty, MaroonAngel of Darkness, HawkRider, Jizzle Pop, **and M. L. Ayala, my lovely beta reader. :)******

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><p>~<em> <em>Gah, I sound like a silly, love struck schoolgirl… Can't be thinking like that.<em> ~_

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><p><strong>14) Bath<strong>

Taking a nice, hot bath had honestly been a great idea. It felt so unbelievably relaxing that she forgot all about the stress that came with her studying and part-time job, as though the deliciously warm water washed away all her worries (it did ease the tension in her sore muscles). The soft, light blue walls that surrounded her only eased her mind more, as the bluenette enjoyed the lavender bath foam and the warm water.

It was truly relaxing how she could let her thoughts run completely free now, without fearing that she might forget about something important. She didn't even have to try to ignore Stitch, who was doing…something…which hopefully didn't include breaking down the apartment. Then again, Stitch only really got wild when Terra was around, so there was nothing to worry about right now. Aqua should see the fact that he was quiet as a good sign.

At the moment, Aqua's thoughts merely circled around one person; the mysterious man with the mesmerizing steel-blue eyes that she met just yesterday. Actually, mysterious was the understatement of the year what with the way he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pulling off the things that he did without sweating...

In fact, Leon was the epitome of 'Tall, Dark and Handsome', as cliché as that might sound, and she started to wonder why she'd never seen him around the campus before. Because quite honestly, it was kinda hard _not_ to notice someone as _captivating _as him, even if he wasn't a student.

_Gah, I sound like a silly, love struck schoolgirl… Can't be thinking like that_, she thought berating herself. _I mean, I don't even know him!_

And she honestly hated herself for it, but curiosity had taken over her and before she knew what she was doing, her fingers were already typing away on her faithful laptop's keyboard, desperate to find some information about him, just anything to satisfy her sudden curiosity. Things were easier said than done, though, since she only had had his first name to work with at that time. It was a good thing that Aqua never backed down from a challenge, though. So needless to say, she eventually found what she'd been looking for, even though it was by mere coincidence. If it hadn't been for her stumbling on a random article with his photo on top of it, she would've given up.

Professor Squall Laguna Leonhart, better known by his nickname Leon, was fairly new here, which explained why she hadn't seen him around before. The shocking part was that he was far more famous than she'd thought; he had already performed in places like the Enchanted Dominion, at the twenty-first birthday of Prince Philip, and the opening of different big events, like the Olympic Tournaments in the Olympus Coliseum. And that was only the tip of the iceberg. To think that she'd been looking through the student records at first... He also taught both Music History as well as Music Theory, though the latter was only for first year students.

The man was so enigmatic… with a deep voice that was monotone yet still pleasant to the ears, and steel blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through your soul. She'd only met him once, but the impression he'd left on her was probably permanent…

Before she could stop herself, her mind took her back to their first meeting...

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><p><em>Aqua was heading to the flight of stairs, more than glad that her classes were over for today, when the sound of someone flawlessly playing the piano made her halt in the middle of the empty hallway. She vaguely recognized the melody, but her mind was too tired to remember the name of the piece. It took her a brief moment to realize that he was playing Vivaldi's Summer, from The Four Seasons. She used to listen to it a lot when she was younger. In fact, it was the part known as 'Presto' (Storm) that had made her fall in love with music. And this person was near that particular piece. So far, he was playing it flawlessly. Then again, this part was much slower than Presto, so it wasn't that hard to pull it off. Presto, however...that was a whole different story.<em>

_Curiously and carefully so as not to be heard, she opened the door to the room and looked inside. The first thing she noticed (other than the fact that the place was huge) was a tall guy with silky smooth brown hair that reached his shoulders, playing the pianoforte. His back was turned towards her, which made it easier for her to stay unnoticed as she watched him. The rest of the room had all kinds of instruments, from drums and guitars to keyboards and tubas. Stacks of music sheets were scattered on the table that stood near the pianoforte, giving her the impression that he'd been studying them all carefully, before picking out this particular piece. Especially with the cup of coffee that was strategically placed on the table, away from the sheets._

_Aqua decided to linger a little longer to see if he could do her favorite part justice. The pace of it made it a technically hard piece. The bluenette had heard different people give it a try, but there was always at least one (nit-picky) detail that just sounded off. They either played it too slow, or pressed the wrong keys in their haste to keep up. So it was needless to say that she didn't think this guy could play it flawlessly and keep up with the actual pace at the same time. Even Xehanort had never succeeded and he was one of the most talented people she knew so far..._

_However, the moment he sped up, Aqua knew that this wasn't just any ordinary guy who played the pianoforte. He was far superior than a first year student like her. She could imagine how his hands were flying rapidly over the black and ivory keys, much like a storm, even if his posture made it seem like it was almost nothing to him to play this, like he could do this in his sleep and still make no mistakes. The amount of control he had, she couldn't even begin to describe it. It was as though he'd become one with the notes and she couldn't spot one little mistake._

_Who _is_ he? she thought, completely awestruck._

_After he played the last note, she decided to make her presence known by stating, "That was very impressive."_

_This seemed to startle him slightly. He turned around and gave her a somewhat surprised look._

_"Thank you."_

_She could tell that he hadn't expected to have an audience._

_But he was not the only surprised person; the bluenette young woman had certainly not expected to see someone with a thin scar on the bridge of his nose. That was the only thing that marred his otherwise flawless features. It started on his forehead, and went down diagonally, stopping under his left eye. It didn't make him look scary; on the contrary. It had something mysterious, attractive, even. Though maybe at the same time, he had an intimidating aura radiating off him. After all, if the scar had been only a few millimeters more to the left or right, it certainly would have cost him an eye. He looked a little too young to be a teacher, but slightly older than the average student. Still, that didn't mean anything, seeing as Aqua had a classmate who was fourty-eight years old._

_It was then that she noticed she wasn't the only one who was scrutinizing the other._

_The man's stormy blue eyes silently travelled to her violin case and they stopped there. "So you play the violin?" he questioned, although it sounded more like a statement._

_"Yes, I do..." The bluenette didn't know why, but she hastened to add, "I'm a first year, though." Maybe it was because secretly, she knew she wasn't even half as good as he was, and if she ever had to play in front of him, she would probably sound like less of a hopeless noob._

_"I see..."_

_Then, almost as though he'd silently made a decision, he turned around again and his left hand started to press on the ivory keys. It took her a while, but Aqua recognized this melody as well. It was Bizet's Habanera from the opera Carmen. However, where his right hand was supposed to join his other hand and start playing, only silence remained. Still, his left hand kept repeating the same keys: D – A – F before going back to the same A and D respectively, this time playing them a little faster. __Frowning lightly, Aqua wondered why he was doing that. She looked at him and their eyes met. It was as though he was waiting for her to join. She could almost read the silent invitation in his eyes… That was when she finally understood, and he sped up even more._

_After lifting her white violin out of its case, she did what he was probably hoping for and they started playing together. It did sound a little hesitant from her side at the beginning. After all, she had never played the song this fast. Soon enough, however, she forgot about everything else and only focussed on the feeling that the music gave her._

_They say that the brain waves of two musicians synchronize when they're performing a duet. Well, Ven had said that he'd read it somewhere. Aqua had never believed it until now; maybe it was her brain playing dirty tricks on her, but he seemed to know exactly what keys to press, and where to improvise a little to make it sound absolutely perfect, no matter how fast they were playing. The combination of violin and piano had never sounded this appealing to her before (but she had little time to marvel at it, he made sure of that)._

_Apparently, he couldn't agree more with Aqua, for the song had barely ended when he sped up some more and started playing the chords for yet another piece. This one was much harder than Bizet's Habanera, but Aqua never backed down from a challenge. It made her wonder, though, was this guy just trying to test her, to find out how skilled she was? Or did he really enjoy playing with her? Because she knew she did..._

_When they stopped playing, the room became eerily quiet, but Aqua still felt the adrenalin in her body, and her ears could still hear the music that had faded away._

_"L'amour est un oiseau rebelle que nul ne peut apprivoiser," he muttered, in perfect French._

_Aqua had to smile. "Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame." Well, she couldn't be sure of that, but it was this line that some people knew the song from the opera Carmen by._

_"You're a natural," he said, mildly impressed. "You said you were a first year?"_

_Aqua nodded. "Yes... I'm Aqua."_

_"Leon," he said in a deep voice, while they shook hands._

_His grip was gentle, but it gave her the feeling that he could crush her fingers if he wanted to..._

A gust of cold air blew her way when the bathroom door suddenly opened.

"Whoa!"

Aqua gasped when she realized what just happened. "Terra!" she shrieked in shock, while sinking back into the foam, so that he wouldn't be able to see anything of her. Thank god there was enough left to cover her. "For heaven's sake, give me some _privacy_!"

He, in return, quickly covered his eyes with his arm and staggered backwards, out of the bathroom...and judging by the sounds she heard, right into the small coffee table. "I'm sorry! I-I just wanted to use the toilet. How was I supposed to know you were in there when the door isn't locked?"

For a moment, Aqua was simply too stunned to reply to that. She had to lock the bathroom door in her own apartment even when she was the only one living here!? It felt like this wasn't even her own place they were talking about!

She recovered quickly, though. "That's it. You're gonna hand in that spare key of yours and next time,_ I'll_ be the one who lets you in. No more sneak attacks!"

Now that she thought about it, she didn't understand why she hadn't done that earlier. Darn Terra and his charm.

"Sorry!" the brunet merely repeated. "I swear I didn't see anything!"

_Yeah, well that's a relief_, she thought, rolling her eyes.

"...So uhm, are you done there?"

"_Terra!_"

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving already!"

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! :D If you look up the translation of the lyrics of Habanera somewhere near the end of this story, you'll know why I think this song fits… **To be honest, Leon was never supposed to be in the story, nor have a big role, but it feels like this story is starting to write itself and I have no say in what happens. -_-'****

****Next chapter will (finally) have Ven in it. :)****

**Teaser:_ "He's willingly spending his free time with you. We both know that you either have to be bonkers or madly in love if you go that far."_**


	15. Community

**A/N: This takes place a couple of weeks after the previous chapter, so Terra's still 22 years old, Aqua's 21, Leon's 24 and Ven is 18. Also, not sure if I've already said this, but I totally blame Alacquiene for Aqua having a white violin. She wrote a one-shot about it and now I can't unsee it anymore. :P And finally, after what seems to be ages, Ven is back! That's reason enough to be happy, right? :P**

**Thanks:**** xxPLUR, Amulet Misty, Walker of Nothing, TopazDragon98, HawkRider, Jizzle Pop, Yue Asuka, ******and M. L. Ayala,****** my lovely beta reader. :)******

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><p>~<em> <em>"He's willingly spending his free time with you. We both know that you either have to be bonkers or madly in love if you go that far."<em> ~_

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><p><strong>15) Community<strong>

There was something so _delightfully_ mysterious about Leon… She couldn't really explain it, but it attracted her to him even though she didn't want that to happen. The weird thing was that suddenly, everybody seemed to know him, and Aqua heard girls talk about him all the time. Or maybe they had been doing it before, but she'd never noticed anything. In fact, whenever the brunet man would pass them in the corridors, barely sparing them a glance, he seemed to leave a trail of whispering, fainting fan girls behind him, making Aqua wonder how it was possible to have that many female students at the same place. It was as though they all knew when he would appear and they were all gathering there, waiting to catch a glimpse of him.

Of course, she knew that she must be imagining that. After all, this was a big faculty and she doubted that any man could make that many women swoon, no matter how talented he was or how high he scored in the looks department (and let's face it, Leon scored a twelve on a scale of one to ten). Honestly, did he even know what he was doing to people only by looking at them?

What bothered the bluenette slightly was that everyone around her was a little surprised that Leon was willingly wasting his precious free time for Aqua, a mere student, so that she could get her Master's degree (how some people had found _that_ out in the first place, she didn't know). In a way, he reminded her of Terra, except for the fact that Leon was much more charismatic, solemn and withdrawn and…

"…And then, you should've seen both their faces, Nami accidentally hugged this moody guy who looked exactly like me! Can you believe that? Seriously, we could've been twins for all I kn- _Aqua_?"

She blinked when she heard her name, realizing that she'd been spacing out once again. It was becoming a nasty habit of hers, one that she couldn't get rid of.

"Huh?"

"Hey, if I'm too much of a bother with my boring stories, or something, I can go, you know," Ventus commented, a little too sharply.

She could hear from his voice that he was rather offended by her lack of attention at…whatever he was trying to tell her. Frankly, she couldn't blame him; it was Aqua who had invited him, after all (more like begging him to spend this day with her, because she hadn't seen him for so long. Aqua had even gone far enough to call him 'Vennie', which he only allowed her when no one else was around. It had worked, though).

This made her flinch, because it made him look like a kicked puppy. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ven," Aqua muttered truthfully, smiling apologetically at him. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Almost at once, the hurt expression on his face disappeared and he seemed worried that he might have hurt her feelings. "No, _I'm _sorry. I shouldn't act so grumpy and childish all the time. It's probably because the lack of sleep," he explained.

"Aww, you're not childish. You're sweet!"

Aqua ruffled his spiky hair affectionately. He didn't even bother to swat her hand away, which only proved to her that he was really tired. The first year of college was kind of hectic for him, she could tell that much. The sudden change of atmosphere, all the expectations, new experiences and freedom that came with this independency were taking their toll on him now. It was all extra hard for him, because he had moved so far away from them. Poor thing.

It was times like these that she just wanted to drop everything she was holding and rush over to him to give him a big hug.

At the moment, the two close friends were sitting in the conservatory's crowded cafeteria. Aqua had invited the blond over to spend his free day with her. Unfortunately for them, Terra wasn't free today, so that left the two of them alone. The room was gigantic. The sunlight that fell through the huge windows only made the cafeteria look bigger and livelier. It smelled like tomato soup, sandwiches and different warm dishes mixed together. The most striking object, however, was the grand, black pianoforte in the middle of the room. A student with wavy, dirty blonde hair was playing a dramatic but difficult piece on it at the moment. It sounded a little like… Mozart? Or one of those old dudes, anyway; Ven sucked at hearing any difference between the composers, but that was what he had Aqua for. It was almost creepy how she could hear the differces between all those composers, even for someone as intelligent as her.

"It's okay, Ven. I wasn't exactly paying attention, either, so I deserved it. So now, it's all about you and me, and your adventures in Twilight Town. And Terra…even if he couldn't come to contradict everything I say about him."

She thought that he would curiously ask what that last comment meant, but instead, Ven had found interest in something else that she had mentioned. "Oh, were you thinking of someone _special_?" he inquired, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Aqua mentally facepalmed at her slip-up, and she started to blush. "No…"

"Do you like him?"

"What? _No_, I don't even know him-" She stopped, her eyes widening when she realized that she'd just contradicted herself. "Oh, you're _good_!"

Ven flashed her a triumphant grin, which made him look much younger than he was. "Just because I'm the youngest doesn't mean that I never notice anything. I thought you knew me better than that, especially now that I'm studying psychology. I can practically guess your thoughts by looking at your face alone."

Aqua managed a small smile. "Touché. It's just that… There's this man who offered to help me with some of the more tricky pieces I have to master. You should have heard him playing the piano… I was impressed by his skills, that's all there is to it."

Ven wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I assume that this is merely his musical skills you're talking about… Not something else?"

Aqua's eyes widened once again at the implication (and at the fact that she heard _Ven_, her innocent Ven of all people, say something like that. Apparently, a certain brunet guy was rubbing off on him). "Of course I am! You're even worse than Terra sometimes!"

The blond let out a hearty laugh. "Hey, I'm just messing with you. So, I guess it's nice of him to help you without even knowing you. Is he here right now?"

Aqua quickly scanned her surroundings, in search for the brunet man. She was about to shake her head and say "No" when she spotted glossy, chocolate brown tresses and familiar steel blue eyes a few tables further to her right. He seemed to be discussing something with Xehanort, the latter making wild hand gestures, as though he was talking about the end of the world. Knowing him, it was probably about the orchestra and nothing too serious, because all Leon really did was nod with a solemn look on his face.

It didn't take long for her blonde friend to notice how she was distracted once again, so he followed her eyes. "Whoa, please tell me it's not the creepy Terra lookalike with the long, silver hair!"

The bluenette had to laugh at that. "No, Ven, I wasn't talking about Xehanort this time. It's the person next to him."

"Oh, thank god, Aqua. You had me scared there for a minute! Although that scar makes him look almost as dangerous as the Creepy Terra-nort. I mean, if he hadn't been that handsome to begin with…"

"You can actually see that from this distance?" she asked, utterly surprised.

"No, I was just trying to find out if you thought he was handsome or not," he replied with a big grin.

Aqua buried her face in her hands. Talk about messing up majorly.

"Ugh, Ven… What do I do with you?"

Ven was about to reply with something witty, when he caught another movement from that direction. So instead, he said, "Hey, he's getting up!"

The bluenette automatically looked up and saw that Ven was right; Leon took the tray that lay in front of him, on the table, and walked away to hand it in, leaving Xehanort in an even worse mood judging by the scowl on his face. As of now, the man looked as though he was ready to kill the first person who spoke to him.

Ven didn't bother to hide his grin. "Looks like Terra-nort is not pleased with whatever that guy did. I think I would get along very well with your new teacher."

"It's easy for you to find it funny, but something tells me that Xehanort's going to take it all out on his next class, which I happen to be in," Aqua said darkly.

Whatever it was that Leon said or did to tick him off like that must be really bad, though, considering that Xehanort hardly ever lost his patience in front of teachers (he had no problem with scaring his students, though...unfortunately). She didn't have much time to think of what it could be about, because at that moment, she noticed how the brunet teacher had spotted her and started approaching her. For a moment, she feared that somehow, he knew that they had been talking about him not too long ago, but thankfully, her suspicions were wrong.

After nodding politely to Ven, he turned to Aqua and started, "Apparently, Xehanort finds it necessary to change everyone's schedule, so this evening's tutoring will be in B 031 instead."

The way he talked about the silver-haired man didn't go unnoticed by her; he must find Xehanort just as annoying as everyone else did. She wouldn't be surprised if Leon had told him exactly how he felt about Xehanort's plan.

"Oh. Okay, thank you for telling me." A quiet beat passed between them, but when Ven coughed impatiently, she hastened to add, "This is Ventus, a good friend of mine. He studies psychology in Twilight Town."

"Hiya!" he started enthusiastically, until he realized that it might come off as rude. As he shook the man's hand, he tried again. "I mean, nice to meet you, professor… Sir."

The corner of Leon's mouth quirked upwards faintly, as though he wanted to smile. A hint of amusement was evident in his voice when he said, "Call me Leon. You're not a student of mine, after all."

"Oh… Alright."

"I'll leave you two alone now. It was nice to meet you, Ventus. Enjoy your lunch."

After another polite nod, he turned around and walked away with big, confident strides.

Ven rubbed his right hand. As soon as he was out of earshot, he said softly, "It's nice to finally meet a teacher of yours that doesn't give the impression that he wants to strangle me… But man, that guy has a firm grip! Hasn't he broken any musical instruments lately?"

Aqua laughed. "Not that I know."

"So… do you call him professor or Sir, too?"

"No. I did at first, but then he told me he preferred to be called Leon."

He was silent for a long time. Aqua wondered what was going through her friends mind, when he noted, "That's very interesting. I think he likes you…"

She rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm allowed to call him by his name?"

"That, and he's willingly spending his free time with you. We both know that you either have to be bonkers or madly in love if you go that far," the spiky-haired young man said teasingly.

If he thought he could make Aqua feel uncomfortable, then he was terribly wrong.

"So which one of those are you?"

Ven gave her a confused look. "Huh?"

"Do I have to remind you that you're spending your free time with me, too, right now?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, but that's _beside the point_."

"Oh, is it now?"

Ven let out an impatient huff. "Aqua, I'm telling you, my conclusion about this guy is right!"

"No, that's a common mistake made by first year students. Let's see if you're still convinced of that next year."

The blond shook his head, not at all impressed by his friend's teasing. "We both know that I don't have to wait _that _long; judging by the way he said it, this "tutoring" will be the spectacle of the year…if you know what I mean."

Finally, Aqua had had enough of her friend's teasing, so she gave him a smack on the head with a rolled up newspaper.

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><p><strong>AN: ******Next chapter: _"I swear, a dictator has more understanding than that ice queen Larxene. Her bitchiness reached a whole new level today."_****

****Darn, seems like this person is always underappreciated and never understood.****


	16. Fun

**A/N: Ugh, I'm in the middle of my exams and I haven't been this stressed for quite some time. Wish me luck, 'cause I know I need it. -_-' Anyways, this takes place a few months after the previous chapter, so Terra's 23 years old and Aqua's 22. No Ven this time. :(**

**Thanks:**** TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness, Amulet Misty, HawkRider, ******and****** M. L. Ayala, my lovely beta reader. :)******

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><p>~<em> <em>"I swear, a dictator has more understanding than that ice queen Larxene. Her bitchiness reached a whole new level today."<em> ~_

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><p><strong>16) Fun<strong>

Aqua looked up from her study books. She sighed wearily, running her slender fingers through her glossy, silky smooth sky blue hair.

She'd been reading for quite a while, her cerulean eyes running over the letters, but she had no idea what this new chapter was about…even after reading the same lines for the third time. This was hopeless.

Well, what did she expect? Studying wasn't always that much fun, no matter how much she loved the subject. Especially when you hadn't slept that well the previous night. The reason wasn't because she was suffering from insomnia. No, it was those creepy spiders that had absolutely no respect for her privacy. Honestly, they just popped up everywhere with their annoying webs; in the kitchen, the bathroom, bedroom, even in the freezer. Good thing the last one was dead, though, because he'd been _huge_.

Last night, the blue-haired young woman had woken up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water. It was then that she saw a spider on the floor, making his way towards God knew where.

At that moment, she couldn't help but think what Terra, her best friend, had once told her about those scary, hairy creatures: "_Never forget that there are always two of them out there. Spiders like to act like a couple…_"

That could only mean one thing; she'd eaten the other one…right? Ew, just thinking of it made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand upright. A shiver ran down her spine. Sometimes it was better not to know everything.

Aqua got up, figuring that maybe it was better to play a little on her violin for a while, before returning to memorize those composers and what they did and why. And if she still had no idea, she could always call Leon. He'd said she could call him when she needed help and he'd given her his number, just like that. Sometimes she wondered what that gesture meant…

At that moment, though, her thoughts were interrupted (thank heavens), when the doorbell of her rented apartment rang three times. Whoever it was, that person was getting quite impatient. Aqua got up, hurried towards the front door and opened it. Next thing she knew, the person brushed right past her, almost knocking her over in the process.

With much trouble, she managed to stand upright by using the wall. "_Whoa!_"

"Honestly, Aqua, what took you so long?" he grumbled irritably, after letting himself in.

"And hello to you, too," she said, watching the brunet male's back with a quizzical look and wondering what got into him.

Terra walked towards the small, but cozy living room without saying as much as a word. Aqua shook her head. The only times Terra would act like he knew no manners at all was when he was fed up with something. She closed the door behind him and followed her childhood friend to the biggest room of her rented apartment.

She was just in time to see how he let himself fall dramatically on the comfortable loveseat and lie down with one arm covering his closed eyes, putting his head on one of the armrests. This simple movement almost made him look ten years older. As if on cue, Stitch ran into the room and made a dash to the loveseat. He managed to climb all the way to Terra's chest and stayed there, giving the man a questioning gaze.

Terra sighed, but he still ruffled his ears. "Hey, little fella. Happy to see me?" Stitch purred in response, to which he continued, "Then you must be the only one in this world."

Aqua brought her desk chair closer to the loveseat and sat down, facing her utterly desperate-looking friend. "You don't exactly look like you had fun today," she noted, carefully.

The brunet looked up at her. "Ugh, that's pretty much the understatement of the century!"

Aqua smiled at his overdone drama. Terra would always vent and pour his heart out to her when he was down. Aqua was known for her qualities as a good listener and she would never interrupt him as he told her his story. That was probably why he always trusted her with the tiniest things. And when he was done with his ranting, it was Aqua's job to come up with something fun to do together, so he would forget about his rather crappy day. With that in mind, she ignored her books for the moment and turned her attention back to her best friend. It was a welcome change from all that boring theory she had to know about.

"What happened, Terra?"

Automatically, her hand went to Terra's spikes, just like it did every time and she ran her long, slender fingers through his soft locks. If anything, it seemed to calm him down enough so he could tell her what was bothering him.

The brunet man closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "Well, there's this…_really _annoying woman at work. She's the co-manager, or something. Heck, I don't even know what the hell she's doing and quite frankly, I don't care, either. But she obviously thinks she can just boss me around, because she has more experience. In what, I wonder. It doesn't really show. I swear, a dictator has more understanding than that ice queen Larxene. Her bitchiness reached a whole new level today."

"Terra," she said, disapprovingly, pursing her lips.

Aqua didn't like it when he used such language, but Terra ignored her this time, feeling that he had the right to talk like that about the woman that made his job a living hell.

"It couldn't have been that bad," she tried again, this time in a gentler tone.

"You have no idea..." The male sighed, continuing where he'd left off. However, there was one sentence that made Aqua really feel bad for him: "Nobody loves me… The whole world hates me."

"That's not true, Terra... Some people don't even know you."

For a moment, only silence surrounded them. Both people stared at each other, blinking with their eyes. Then, Terra grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it towards her, aiming for her head. She ducked away quickly, dodging the soft object. Stitch, however, wasn't that lucky and he ended up falling off him. By the looks of it, he was about to throw a tantrum, had it not been for Terra realizing his mistake and apologizing quickly.

"Oops, sorry little one. That was not my intention." Terra scooped him up and took him in his arms again. To Aqua, he growled, "Stop making fun of me!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's too much fun."

"You call that fun? …I hate you."

"Aww, I love you too, you Terra-ble dork."

Aqua got up from her seat and ruffled his hair with a laugh. After that, she straightened again and walked away from the couch.

Surprised, Terra sat up, leaning on his elbows (making sure Stitch didn't fall off this time). "Where are you going?"

Aqua stopped, turning back again. "To the kitchen, to make some hot chocolate. Why do you ask?"

"Make me some, too. I had a rough day." When Stitch let out another indignant noise, he hastened to add, "And don't forget about Stitch! He's your pet after all. He deserves the love that you don't give other people..."

"No."

Terra quirked a thin brow. "No, as in, 'He's not my pet' or 'I won't give him anything'?"

"'No' as in, 'Both of you can forget about the hot chocolate'," was the short, but simple reply.

Terra frowned, at the very same time that Stitch let out a low whine. "Shh, it's alright. I got this," he said lowly, before raising his voice slightly, so Aqua could hear it. "What? Why not?"

"Because you hated me, remember? By saying that, you actually hurt my feelings. So go make your own hot chocolate…in your _own_ kitchen, 'cause I'm not going to share my food with someone that hates my guts. And Stitch is not allowed to have chocolate, because that's dangerous...and he broke my vase."

"…Now I really hate you," he muttered.

Also, who the heck cared about a stupid vase? That thing was beyond ugly, anyway. She should be glad that Stitch got rid of it.

"What was that?" came her dangerous voice.

"Uh…nothing! You go make your hot chocolate." To distract her, he started to sing, "You just take, take, take it all, but you never give."

His singing seemed to have the desired effect, for almost immediately, Aqua's response was, "Stop that whining. You know I hate that song."

"Let me. I feel horrible. Bruno Mars can actually make me feel better about my condition. After all, it could always be worse, right?" As an afterthought he added, "Wow, I think you're the first girl who doesn't find it cute that he'd catch a grenade for her."

Aqua rolled her eyes. "Well, that's his own fault. What annoys me the most about the song, is that part where he complains that from the first moment they kissed, the girl had her eyes wide open. 'Why were they open,' he wonders. Obviously, the only way he could know that is when his own eyes were open, too. So I'd _really_ like to know why _his_ eyes were open at that moment."

Terra rolled his eyes. It was so typical of her to analyze that song up to the point where she ruined the actual meaning of it.

As she continued her way to the small kitchen, Terra continued singing the song, just to get a rise out of her. But Aqua didn't just let him have that satisfaction. She grabbed a cookie on her way out (Terra's favorite) and stuffed it in Terra's mouth to make him shut up. The brunet male shot up and started coughing violently, because of the crumbs that shot in his trachea. This time when the blue pet fell off, he shook his fist at Terra and decided to stay far away from the two of them. But they all knew that the next time, he'd climb on Terra's stomach again. Those two were inseparable after all.

Aqua couldn't help but giggle. "What is it? I thought these were your favorite cookies?"

Terra ignored her question, but when he regained his breathing, he asked indignantly, "What was _that_ for?"

"For the neighbors' sakes. Your singing sounds like someone's being tortured. I don't want to answer awkward questions from them, like that time when you were completely drunk and started flirting with the old lady from next door."

It was a lie, though, because Terra actually had a nice voice. Not that he had to know that.

His ears had turned considerably red when he exclaimed, "Aqua, that was only once! I can't help it that someone had spiked my drink."

"Uh-huh…"

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><p><strong>AN: ******Next chapter: _Strangely enough, the slightly familiar words "I would watch out for redheads if I were you" came to her mind, but she didn't remember where she'd heard that._****

**Three guesses which redhead I'm talking about. :P**


	17. Interview

**A/N: Well, I'm surprised at how everyone came up with different people for who the redhead in this chapter was. I'm glad to hear that I'm not too predictable sometimes. ^-^ Don't worry, though; Axel/Lea will have a bigger role in the future (because, c'mon, how could you possibly_ not_ add him? LOL). Still, I apologise for the short chapter. Some prompts are a real challenge when it comes to making it fit in lol (all the more reason to do my best to come up with new plot twists and all). The next chapter is even shorter. :P **Anyways, Aqua is 23 years old, Terra's 24, Leon's 26 and our new character is 20.****

**Thanks:**** TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness, Walker of Nothing, HawkRider, Jizzle Pop, DreamerGirl111, ******and****** my lovely beta reader M. L. Ayala. :)******

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><p>~<em> <em>Strangely enough, the slightly familiar words "I would watch out for redheads if I were you" came to her mind, but she didn't remember where she'd heard that.<em> ~_

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><p><strong>17) Interview<strong>

The pretty red-haired woman brushed her silky smooth, wine-colored bangs out of her violet eyes, before asking the next question. The young woman – her name was Kairi – had to interview these two very important people for Radiant Garden's newspaper _Radiant Daily_. She had her internship there, and because the paper was interested in the upcoming concert, they had sent her to interview the pretty bluenette who organized everything, along with the silent and somewhat mysterious man known as Leon.

She had been absolutely thrilled by the news, because this was the first big project she was allowed to work on by herself. There was nobody to babysit her this time, so needless to say, everything needed to be absolutely perfect. No embarrassing slip-ups or awkward silences, but punctuality, professionalism, and passion. Those were the three P's that she always went for. Well, a little bit of luck wouldn't be too bad, either.

Rumor went that this solemn guy had been Aqua's violin instructor back when she'd attended college, and being the curious human being that she was, Kairi had sworn to herself that she would find out if they had a secret affair or not. Kairi was good at reading people, so she could tell when someone was lying, as long as they weren't close enough to her. For some reason, it didn't always work with people that she cared about. Perhaps it was the whole "Love makes us blind" thing, she didn't know.

At the moment, her pale cheeks were rosy, because it was slightly warm in the room. Or maybe that was just her nerves tricking her. At least it kind of matched the soft pink blouse she wore for the occasion, along with a black skirt that reached just above her knees. She was hoping that it looked professional enough, despite the pink (she'd wanted to stay close to her style, so that she wouldn't feel too uncomfortable).

"Sounds like you've had a lot of work to do. How many people helped with arranging this big event?" Kairi asked in a melodious voice.

Aqua looked at Leon and nodded, a silent sign that he should answer this one.

That was another thing that Kairi hadn't failed to notice; the silent understanding between these two hinted that there was more between them than the eye could see. But it was obvious that they knew each other very well. Maybe it was because of the many years that they had worked together... But a part of Kairi hoped that there was another reason as well.

Meanwhile, the bluenette's eyes travelled from Kairi's face to her pink, manicured nails. She looked like a really nice woman, and she was very pretty. Her glossy, wine-colored hair reached her shoulder, giving her a feminine and somewhat youthful appearance. She had probably just reached her twenties, but she still looked like a teen. Perhaps it was because of the innocence in her big, violet eyes. It would attract anyone.

Aqua had this odd feeling that she'd seen her somewhere before, but she couldn't quite remember where or when. Strangely enough, the slightly familiar words _"I would watch out for redheads if I were you"_ came to her mind, but she didn't remember where she'd heard that.

Probably from some cheap movie, she decided then. So she ignored it for now. It was probably the lack of sleep that made her think of weird stuff like this. The past few weeks had been hard for her, aggravating even. It was more that Xehanort took away half of her energy, and that by being merely himself. Apparently, some things would never really change. Still, it was funny how she still wasn't quite used to it, no matter how many times she'd witnessed it.

Aqua blinked, realizing that her mind had wandered off. Thankfully, neither Kairi nor Leon had noticed this little fact.

Kairi's next question, however, took the blue-haired woman completely off guard. "And, purely out of curiosity, are you two…together?"

"What?" Aqua's cerulean eyes widened and she automatically started to blush at the insinuation. "Oh- no! We're just friends, right?"

She quickly looked at Leon, pleading for help. The silent male next to her gave a brief, albeit amused nod, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, sorry." The woman laughed heartily. "It's just that so many people see you as a perfect match that I couldn't help but wonder."

_…They did? Since when?_ Aqua wondered, frowning slightly.

She didn't have much time to think about it, because at that moment, Kairi continued, "Anyways, thanks so much for the interview. I think that should be all."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad we could help. It was a nice change from our usual schedule," Aqua replied with a smile, as she got up to walk her to the door.

"Thank you, Miss Aqua. Good luck with the performance."

The redhead gave Leon a hand too. She had just turned around to leave when Aqua suddenly blurted out, "You remind me of someone."

This made Kairi stop and turn back, tilting her head to the side curiously. "Oh?"

The bluenette hesitated slightly, before daring to ask, "Have you… I mean, do you happen to know anyone named Naminé?"

At this, the other woman started to laugh. "If you mean who I think you mean, then yes. She's my younger cousin."

"Ah, that explains it. But you look so much like each other. If it hadn't been for your hair color, you could've been sisters."

Kairi smiled. "You're not the first one to say that. When we're together, everyone thinks we're twins... I didn't know that you knew her, though."

"Ventus, her boyfriend, is actually a good friend of mine," Aqua explained.

"Oh, I see. What a coincidence. I've met him once. They're so cute together, aren't they?"

Aqua smiled. Ven and Naminé were in their second year in college, both studying in Twilight Town. Naminé had chosen to go for art and Ven was studying psychology. The couple had both rented a room together and they were now roommates. As a result of that, Aqua and Terra barely saw their cheerful, spiky-haired friend. They could only hang out during holidays.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Kairi decided that she should really leave now.

When she was gone, Leon finally spoke up. "I was going to have lunch now. Want to tag along, or are you too scared that everyone will think we're on our umpteenth date when they see us together?"

Aqua smiled. "Very funny. I'm afraid that I'm so hungry I'll simply have to take that risk. People are already starting to think that we're having an affair, so what does it matter, really?"

Leon rolled his eyes. "You made the wise decision."

Over the years, she'd grown to enjoy those lunches the most, so she took every chance to be with him, even if some of the lunches were quiet. It was a comfortable, amicable silence, so she saw no reason to change her schedule, despite all those rumors. Where had they come from, really? Did people make them up out of boredom or was it that hard to believe that a man and a woman can actually just be friends? It didn't matter; people were weird, anyway.

With that, they left Leon's office and he locked the door, before heading for the cafeteria.

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><p><strong>AN: ******Next chapter: _In that instance, __Terra realized that he just couldn't look away from the beautiful young woman._****


	18. Traffic

**A/N: This chapter takes place a few months after the previous one, so ****Aqua is 23 years old, Leon's 26, Terra's 24 and Kairi's 21.**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness, HeartofFyrwinde, Amulet Misty, HawkRider, DreamerGirl111, rushninja, and ****my lovely beta reader M. L. Ayala. :)******

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><p>~<em> <em>In that instant, <em>_Terra realized that he just couldn't look away from the beautiful young woman._ ~_

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><p><strong>18) Traffic<strong>

"Oh, come _on_!" he growled irritably.

Well this was just friggin' great. Just his luck to be stuck here. Terra didn't know how he managed to pull it off, but for some reason, he always ended up getting stuck in a traffic jam. He let out a long-suffering sigh, suppressing the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel. Normally, he wouldn't mind that much, because with his motorcycle, he could easily zigzag between the traffic. However, there was barely enough room for such a small vehicle, let alone for his old car.

"This is the last time I'm going somewhere by car," he muttered grumpily under his breath.

He ran a hand through his chocolate-colored locks and glanced to his right. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the beautiful red-haired woman sitting in the backseat of a dirty taxi. She seemed to be deep in thought, so she hadn't noticed him looking at her yet. Her young face had a troubled expression on it that according to him didn't quite fit her.

She was very pretty. It was a different kind of beauty when he compared her with Aqua; this woman had a sort of…cute innocence about her, what with her dark red hair and big, glistening violet eyes. Then again, he couldn't blame Aqua for not looking that innocent; she'd been more or less forced to grow up at a very early age and she'd seen so much of the world already. She'd always been more mature for her age and that most likely had something to do with her past. That didn't make her any less beautiful, though. Aqua was just beautiful in a different way. And in another time and circumstance, he might have started having feelings for her...maybe.

In that instant, Terra realized that he just couldn't look away from the beautiful young woman. She had something so captivating and pure and…well, there was something else about her, too, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

At that moment, traffic started moving again and her car drove away slowly. The brunet man wanted to follow her on a whim, but he had to step on the brake abruptly when a rather asocial motorcyclist raced past him at top speed, not giving any care in the world as to what damage he might have caused. If Terra had looked at the woman at that moment, he'd have caught her wincing and turning away from the window abruptly.

But the brunet man didn't see it. "Hey, watch it!" he cried instead, even though he knew the man couldn't hear him.

Too bad that he wore a dark helmet that obscured his face, otherwise Terra would have had no problem finding him. And if it hadn't been illegal, he really would have considered bumping the front of the car against his backside…

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><p>Days later, he still couldn't get the mysterious beauty out of his head. She just randomly popped up in his mind, no matter what he was doing. Even Aqua had started noticing how absent-minded he was. Something about him had changed. He stared more often into the distance now, seemingly deep in thought. She wished she knew what was on his mind and if something was wrong with him.<p>

Aqua put her white violin in its case, preparing to go to her meeting with Leon now. He was still her instructor…kinda, but she also enjoyed just playing music with him. So she could safely say that he was a good friend of hers, too.

Ven used to joke around that he seemed to be a little too interested in her to call it friendship. However, Aqua couldn't help but notice that he never made a first move, so that couldn't be true. Still, Ven kept insisting after hearing her stories about the silent musician that it sounded as though every time he wanted to make a move, something reminded him that he wasn't allowed to act that way and he would retreat. Obviously, Aqua thought he was just seeing things. He was probably just wishing it was true, so that Aqua could have a boyfriend. Apparently, the blonde thought that that was when her life would be complete. As sweet as it was, it also annoyed Aqua slightly. What was wrong with being single, after all? It wasn't like she was crying her eyes out every night, wishing to have a boyfriend.

The pretty bluenette sighed, shaking her head before tapping the far too silent Terra on the shoulder to get his attention.

This made her best friend return to reality and he reverted his gaze to her. "Huh?"

"I have to go now, okay? Take care of yourself and don't forget to have dinner."

"…Yeah."

Aqua rolled her eyes and let herself out, knowing that Terra wouldn't have dinner, anyway. So that meant that she still had to get him something on her way back home. Sometimes she felt more like his mother than his friend.

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><p><strong>AN: Since I only have two betas now, I'm currently looking for another beta reader, because I'm planning to update a lot during summer. So if you don't mind beta reading for Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy VIII, and your strengths are grammar, word choice and sentence structure, you could be my savior. It's so hard finding good ones that have time, so I'm doing it this way. :P Also, the motorcyclist will turn out to be a very important character in the future. This was his first appearance.**

****Next chapter: _And suddenly, going to the chiropractor didn't seem like such a waste of time anymore._****


	19. Chiropractor

**A/N: ****Thanks: MaroonAngel of Darkness, Yue Asuka, HawkRider, LBWind, My5tic-Lali, rushninja, and ****my lovely beta reader M. L. Ayala. :)******

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><p>~<em> <em>And suddenly, going to the chiropractor didn't seem like such a waste of time anymore.<em> ~_

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><p><strong>19) Chiropractor<strong>

Terra's mouth dropped open and his jaw practically reached the floor when he saw the beautiful red-haired woman again, but at the most unexpected moment and location _ever_. Needless to say, he'd recognized her immediately, but he had to pinch himself in order to be sure that he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. Honestly, who had ever thought that she was a chiropractor? He wasn't sure if this was all just a mere coincidence or him being lucky. At least she didn't look all that sad and thoughtful now, what with the polite but genuine smile on her face. Whether she was masking her real feelings or not, he didn't know.

She gave him a hand, which he shook almost too eagerly. "My name is Kairi."

Kairi... _Wow_. That was a highly unusual but pretty name. Kind of exotic even. Terra frowned when he caught his train of thoughts. Why the hell was he even thinking all of that now? This was a serious appointment for crying out loud, not some blind date!

He shook his head to get rid of the silly thoughts, recovering quickly enough to mutter a rather dazed, "Uh, Terra."

"Please come in, Mr. Terra."

She stepped aside and let him enter her office. The brunet man looked around him and saw a neat, clean office. At least that was a good sign.

"Please, take a seat." When he did as he was told, she smiled at him. "So what's the matter?"

"_Oh_! Uh… My leg hurts and sometimes I have these weird muscle spasms. So I was hoping that maybe you could help me…"

She nodded, as she took notes and typed something in the computer. "This is your first visit I see. Let me guess, you've got terrible headaches with that, too?"

Terra blinked. "Yeah," was the surprised answer. "How did you know?"

She gave him a knowing smile that made her violet eyes shine brighter, as she explained patiently, "Well, chiropractors usually manipulate the spine with our hands to realign the vertebrae and relieve the pressure on the nerves. Before this happens, tension headaches are pretty normal. The kind of treatment that we use is very effective for such tension headaches, muscle spasms of the back and neck, and leg pain."

Terra nodded. "I see."

The brunet had never known that. He couldn't help but notice that she had a pretty smile. It felt as though the whole room lit up when she smiled.

"Okay. Let's get started, then."

Terra nodded. And suddenly, going to the chiropractor didn't seem like such a waste of time anymore.

* * *

><p>Terra looked around him, but after fifteen minutes, there was still no trace of Aqua. He didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to get a little worried; Aqua was <em>never<em> late. In fact, she was the kind of woman that arrived somewhere fifteen minutes too early. Her "late" meant when she managed to get to her destination two minutes before the appointment would start. If that didn't say enough already then he didn't know what did.

At the moment, the brunet man was sitting all alone at a table, waiting for his best friend. He had tried to call her on her mobile phone several times now, but she wouldn't pick up. Maybe she was just stuck in the traffic with her mobile's battery dying on her, but it could also be something else. Terra decided that if she didn't come in another fifteen minutes, he would start looking for her.

At that moment, a pretty red-haired woman, who had just entered the coffee shop, happened to spot him. She smiled, taking something out of her purse, before making her way over to him.

"Hi, mind if I sit down here?" she asked politely.

This seemed to bring him out of his reverie. Surprise was written all over his face when he saw that it was his chiropractor again. She was definitely one of the last people he'd expected to see here, especially because this was the third time in two weeks that she was seeing him. This couldn't be a mere coincidence, right?

"Hey. Yes, of course," he said, motioning for her to sit down.

"Thank you." She took a seat on the chair opposite from him and smiled at him. "It's a good thing that I saw you, because you forgot your watch the other day."

_Wow, it seems that this day is full of surprises for me_, he thought with a raise of his dark brows.

"Thanks! I've been looking for it for days," he said, which was a lie, because quite honestly, he hadn't even noticed that it was gone.

But that didn't matter now.

It was silent between them for a moment, but then he couldn't resist but ask about something that had been bothering him for a while now. "I'm sorry, but have we met somewhere before? I keep having the strange feeling that I know you…"

She smiled. "That's probably because we actually have, several times."

At this, his eyebrows shot up again, almost disappearing into his hairline. Was she joking around with him?

"Really?"

Okay, so he might not have the best memory in the world (because that position was Aqua's already, there was no doubt about that), but he was pretty sure that he would have been able to remember at least _that_.

"Yeah, I'm Kairi, the little girl who was never allowed to come and play with you guys in your tree hut, because that blonde, spiky-haired boy always got nervous from me."

"Oh…"

Wait..._of course_.

Terra scratched the back of his head sheepishly, feeling more and more stupid with every passing second. Especially now that the bells had started ringing. Not only that, but he was feeling a little guilty again.

"Yeah… Sorry 'bout that… I think he had a little crush on you back when he was six. So he wanted to avoid you most of the time."

Terra could still remember those days. It was before Ven had met Naminé.

Kairi laughed heartily, and he couldn't help but notice that it sounded like sweet music in his ears. "That's okay. I don't blame you. But it certainly does explain a lot."

To get rid of the awkwardness in the air, he decided to change the subject. "I haven't seen you for a long while."

"I used to live near the market place with my grandma. But I moved out of town when I went to college and my grandma passed away shortly after that, so I never had a reason to come back to that place again, what with the memories and all. It would only leave me to deal with the pain and loss," she explained calmly.

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it's been a long time. Anyways, I should go now, before my overly worried friend calls the cops. I'm already running late," she admitted with another laugh, as she got up from her chair. "I'm sorry."

Terra's face fell at once and he tried to shake off the disappointment. "Oh, I guess I'll see you around?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't sounding too eager or hopeful.

"Sure, I've rented a room, not too far away from here actually. See you soon hopefully."

_Yeah...hopefully_, he thought as he watched her retreating back.

"Take care."

Terra didn't know what it was about this woman, but it made him want to know so much more about her.

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><p><strong>AN: We will meet another new character the next chapter (one that I've grown to adore haha).**

**Teaser****: _He blushed when she caught him watching her. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare… It's just…you remind me of someone," he explained, somewhat awkwardly._**


	20. Train

**A/N: Yay, with this chapter, I've officially finished 20% of this story (about time, too lol)! :D And we practically still have to start... XD I'm pleasantly surprised you guys still are with me, seeing as nothing really has happened so far. I'm working on it, though. Oh, and I've started a drabble challenge that can be seen as a prequel/side story to this story. If you're curious, check it out; you might find other important info about this story. Anyway, our new character is 21 years old. Enjoy.**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, Inu Ruu, rushninja, Amulet Misty, HawkRider, and My5tic-Lali, my lovely beta reader. :)**

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><p>~<em> <em>He blushed when she caught him watching her and coughed. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare… It's just…you remind me of someone," he explained, somewhat awkwardly.<em> ~_

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><p><strong><strong>20) Train<strong>**

Aqua was sitting in the train, on her way back home to Radiant Garden, studying a particularly difficult piece of music that Leon had given her today just for the kicks. Sometimes she had the feeling that he was thinking too highly about her, or perhaps even comparing himself with her, which was why he was always giving her the hardest pieces to study. She really needed all her concentration for it, so it felt as though any distraction was at least ten times worse than it usually was.

If she closed her eyes right now, she was sure that she would fall asleep immediately, lulled by the light rocking motions of the train. A perfect way to fall asleep. Too bad that that was out of the question; the last thing Aqua wanted was to miss her stop and wake up on the other side of the country. Granted, that had never happened before, but who said that there wasn't a first time for everything?

Abruptly, Aqua became aware of a strange sensation prickling the back of her neck, as though someone was looking at her. Call her crazy, but she could practically feel a pair of eyes burning holes in her face. At once, she looked up sharply, and found herself confronted by a pair of big, cerulean blue eyes. Apparently, her suspicions had been right, for the spiky-haired brunet man that sat across from her was looking at her almost in childlike wonder. He was too late to avert his gaze and pretend to be watching the scenery outside.

He blushed when she caught him watching her and coughed. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare… It's just…you remind me of someone," he explained, somewhat awkwardly.

Aqua nodded, not fully convinced yet, before returning her gaze back to the stack of music sheets in her hands. "I see."

__Oh god, please don't let this be one of those creepy guys that will follow you to your home___, _she thought, fixing her attention back to the sheets in her hand.

In such cases, it was always better to ignore them. Aqua knew this out of experience…unfortunately. And if things really were about to get nasty, she could always use her bag (which was full of study books, thankfully) to K.O. him. It was heavy enough to leave someone with a concussion. Here was hoping that it wasn't a law student, so she wouldn't get sued for it afterward. Those people were able to formulate facts in such a way that it looked as though the victim was at fault. No wonder that most people didn't like them.

Almost as though the man across from her could read her thoughts he said, "You're probably thinking that I'm some kind of a creep now, and I can't really blame you, but I was speaking the truth…and I won't bother you again."

Aqua looked up at him and stared for a moment, biting her bottom lip. She would lie if she denied that this guy had such a sweet innocence about him. There was something about his eyes and face that reminded her of Ven. How could he possibly be a creep? Then again, she'd seen stranger things in life.

Eventually she said, "Okay… I believe you."

He grinned at her at that. "Well, that's a relief. That bag of yours looks like it could knock me out with one swing."

She laughed. "Good thing I don't have to use it against you then."

It became quiet around them again. After a while, the man took a magazine out of his own backpack and started leafing through it until he'd found the page that he wanted to read. When she heard the noise, Aqua automatically looked up from her own work. And that was when she noticed the cover.

"Wait a minute, is that Weapons Monthly's __limited edition__?" she asked, her voice laced with surprise.

He looked up so suddenly that he strained his neck. Rubbing it, he asked, completely in awe, "You actually __know __Weapons Monthly?"

She laughed again, because that bewildered look on his face made him look even more like Ven. They could easily have passed as brothers, had it not been for their hair color.

To be honest, Aqua was used to get such reactions from people, especially from guys, but it was still funny to see their faces. It was as though in their head, no girl had ever heard of stuff that was usually stereotyped as 'guy things'.

"Yes, I do," she replied calmly. "A good friend of mine reads it quite often… And he's been pretty upset by the fact that he couldn't get his hands on this limited edition."

Yes, Terra was still nagging about how he'd been too late to get one from the bookseller where he usually bought his magazines.

The stranger then grabbed another unopened edition of the magazine out of his bag and wordlessly handed it over to her. The plastic packaging still held it, indicating that it was a brand new copy. Aqua didn't take it from him, though.

"Oh, that's very kind of you, but I can't accept this."

"I don't wanna hear any of that. Besides, I already have one. What would I want with two of them?" he insisted, practically shoving the magazine in her hands now.

"Okay… Well, thank you." Aqua smiled, and tucked the magazine in her bag.

"You're welcome. See it as my way of making it up to you for staring at you earlier. I'm Sora, by the way," he said, while treating her with another goofy smile.

That one sentence seemed to be the perfect conversation starter, because soon enough, they were talking about the silliest things, from their studies and hobbies to their favorite places to travel. Aqua had never felt this comfortable before with someone she had just met. There just was something about Sora that made her feel completely at ease, be it his spontaneous comments or his ability to let her forget about all the bad things that were happening in the world. The guy was probably quite a heartbreaker without him even knowing it.

When it was almost time to get out of the train, Aqua put her music sheets back into her bag. Quite frankly, she hadn't even looked at them ever since she'd started conversing with Sora. To Aqua's surpise, the train didn't stop at the Radiant Garden drop-off and this didn't go unnoticed by her new friend, either.

"Hey, I was supposed to get off the train here!" Sora cried in surprise.

"Me too," Aqua said with a frown. "Do you think there's something wrong with the train?"

Because if the brakes weren't working, they were in __deep __trouble, with 'deep' being the understatement of the century…

As if on cue, they heard the train driver's voice booming from the intercom, "Dear passengers, this is your train driver speaking. As you may or may not have noticed, the train didn't make its usual stop at Radiant Garden's station. This was a small control error from my part and I apologize for that. Our next stop will be at Traverse Town. The passengers that had to get out at this stop will have to take the bus or another train from there. Have a nice day everyone."

They both let out a groan. Seriously, of all the days that the train driver could make a mistake, it had to happen on the one that Aqua was in a hurry.

"This is just my luck. Well, at least I'm in good company," Sora said with a big smile.

With that, they resumed their conversation. Aqua started telling him about her two best friends (and how she couldn't imagine life without them even if they were impossible sometimes) and about her current job.

"Oh, then you must know Squall Leonhart, huh?"

"Yeah," she replied, surprised that he knew the man too.

Admittedly, Leon was a famous person, but Sora didn't look like the type to know people like him, as stereotypical as that may sound. Sora kept surprising her today.

"Kairi, I mean...a good friend of mine is quite a fan of him ever since she had the honor to interview him, probably to the point that she got some sort of…celebrity crush on him, even though he probably doesn't count as a celebrity. But you get my point, right? That's why I know him. At first, she'd wanted an interview with Xehanort, or whatever the guy's name was, but he just sent her away."

That didn't surprise the bluenette at all.

"I see. Xehanort can be a little…"

"Unbearably despicable?"

She laughed. "Yeah… That's what everyone says when they meet him, but once you really get to know him…you'll find out he's much worse."

Sora chuckled. "I've never met him, but I'm believing you on that one."

* * *

><p>Soon enough, they arrived in Traverse Town, where they took the bus to Radiant Garden together. After that, Aqua and Sora parted ways; Aqua had to stop near the Market Place, while Sora continued traveling further. Even though she had just met him, Aqua couldn't help but secretly wish that they would meet again. It was so refreshing to meet someone with so much energy and positivity for a change.<p>

Suddenly, Aqua froze on her spot when she saw that Terra wasn't sitting alone at a table in Radiant Garden's most popular coffee shop. Neither of the two noticed her watching them from a distance, which was only good, because now she could study the other person. The woman's features seemed fairly familiar to Aqua, especially her wine red hair.

__Wait a minute... I do know her!__

It had been a while, but even if she was only seeing the side of her face, she would recognize Kairi anywhere. The question was, what was she doing there with Terra of all people? Terra had never mentioned anything about the redhead. Did he know Kairi? Should she be worried?

__Wait, why worried? I don't even know what's going on___,_ she thought, chiding herself mentally.

Nonetheless, the bluenette couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, seeing those two together. Kairi didn't stay at his table for too long; soon enough, she got up from her place and moved to leave. All Aqua could hear was how the woman mentioned something about having a room nearby (_why would she do that?!_). After that, she left. As Aqua passed Kairi, she got a whiff of her sweet perfume; roses.

When Kairi had left the coffeehouse, Aqua could finally move again. Slowly, she made her way over to where Terra was sitting.

"There you are! I was already starting to wonder if you had forgotten about me or something," the brunet man said, as he made room for Aqua to sit next to him on the more comfortable couch-chair, instead of the hard, wooden chairs that stood at the other side of the table.

Call it petty, but this made Aqua incredibly happy, especially because he hadn't done the same thing with Kairi, so perhaps he didn't really care about her at all.

"Sorry I'm late. The train skipped this place due to some error in the computer or something, and it only stopped in Traverse Town. I guess that the machinist didn't pay enough attention."

Terra chuckled. "That's okay. Nothing ever goes well with the train systems. That's why I was looking for a job near my house."

"No, you were looking for a job close by because you're too lazy to travel," Aqua reminded him dryly.

Terra shrugged, knowing that there was no point denying it. "…I guess that has some truth in it, too."

Aqua shook her head, before she remembered the question that she'd wanted to ask him for a while now. "…Who was that woman?"

"That was Kairi, my chiropractor."

Could this be the same Kairi that Sora was talking about earlier or was every girl's name Kairi in this part of the town? Aqua decided that it didn't matter now.

"What did she do here? Have an extra session with you?"

Aqua flat-out __hated __sounding so ridiculously nosy, but she couldn't help it. She just hoped that her best friend wouldn't notice anything.

Terra rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, but no. I forgot my watch the other day and she merely returned it to its rightful owner."

"Oh, I see. How nice of her... Anyways, I got you something."

Aqua took Sora's present from her backpack and handed it over to Terra.

His cobalt blue eyes widened considerably and he punched the air when he saw what it was. "Where did you get this from?"

"Someone I met on the train had two of them, so he gave one to me."

"Aqua, you're the best!"

And when he pulled her to him to catch her in a bear hug, he honestly didn't seem to care that he was attracting the attention of the other occupants of the room. Aqua blushed at the close contact. She spent so much time with him that sometimes she just forgot how muscular and strong he __really __was...

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><p><strong>AN: Unfortunately, the thing with the train has happened to me too, for the exact same reason. XD**

**Next chapter****: _Suddenly, Aqua recognized that voice from the way she was talking and her breath caught in her throat. This was the last person she'd expected to talk to…_**


	21. Tornado

**A/N: I'M SO SORRY OMG! D: I haven't updated this in ages, but I felt so guilty after reading some of those amazing reviews that you guys left. Also, I think an explanation should be good when it comes to Kairi's job. XD The thing with the paper (when she interviewed Aqua and Leon) was just an internship, which she had to take to improve her communication skills. But her real job is that of a chiropractor. I hope it all makes sense; we Dutch people are weird after all. :P Also, I know that I had promised to update a lot more during summer break, but thing is, I took some extra courses and I had to start studying early. -_-' The things you have to do for your future... XD Anyways, enough of my rambling. This chapter isn't betaed, so if you catch any errors, don't hesitate to tell me. Enjoy!**

**Thanks: MaroonAngel of Darkness, TopazDragon98, rushninja, sorikuroxasaqua, HawkRider, TheOSTofLife, Raberba girl, Red hag, Rosialette001, and Mila Nila. :)**

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><p>~<em> <em>Suddenly, Aqua recognized that voice from the way she was talking and her breath caught in her throat. This was the last person she'd expected to talk to…<em> ~_

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><p><strong>21) Tornado<strong>

_"No way," Terra said with a low chuckle._

_Aqua's heart skipped a beat or two at the lovely sound that gave her goosebumps everywhere. The fact that she was the one responsible for it made her feel deliriously happy._

_"You're silly, you know that?" the brunet man continued, as he affectionately tucked a rather stubborn blue strand of hair behind her ear._

_The skin-on-skin contact made her legs feel like jelly. If he continued torturing her like this, she'd have to hold onto him in order not to fall._

_With that incredibly attractive smirk still adorning his handsome face, he bent forward slightly and captured her lips with his in a passionate kiss._

As soon as Aqua woke up and realized that this was all just a dream, she turned on her laptop and decided to put everything she'd felt and seen into words. Writing things down always helped to give it a place in her head and figure things out for herself. Usually, she would just delete it all, fearing that otherwise, someone might read it.

Curious as to what this fuss was about, Stitch, who had been rolled up near the headboard, opened one eye.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up? Everything's all right, you can go back to sleep," Aqua said softly to her blue pet.

Stitch muttered something incoherently, but closed his eye.

At times like these, she wished there was a way to delete her memories like she would later delete the piece of text. Oh, what she wouldn't give for that to become possible…

* * *

><p>A few days had passed since her weird dream (of which she now knew the meaning of). Much to her annoyance, she'd seen Kairi a lot more around Terra and this was worrying her. The latter had even asked Aqua if he could bring a friend with him on her birthday party. And guess who had showed up at Terra's side...<p>

Aqua had been curious, so she had said yes. Of course, if she'd known that he meant Kairi, she wouldn't have been that happy. Sure, the red-haired woman was nice, but it was more than obvious that she had feelings for her Terra too. That was another thing that bothered the pretty bluenette. Even more so because Terra was blind to it…

Wait… _her_ Terra? Why was she even thinking that?

"_Whoa_!"

Out of nowhere, Terra had suddenly appeared. Aqua hadn't even noticed him, too preoccupied with her own thoughts, causing her to walk into him. The impact of that made them both fall. She landed on top of him, her face only inches away from his. Never before had her face become red so quickly.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" She quickly scrambled up, leaving no room for Terra to say anything. "Well, I've got a lot of stuff to do, so I'll catch you later, okay?"

It felt like there was a tornado, raging inside her. Every day, this tornado was getting bigger and bigger. Aqua felt his eyes on her back, watching her until she had disappeared behind a corner.

The question was: should she tell him that she_ really_ liked him a lot before Kairi would beat her to it? Because that was the only possibility left now, wasn't it?

* * *

><p>Aqua let out another deep sigh. She had made up her mind; she would call Terra right now to explain her weird behavior of earlier...or at least tell him that she wanted to see him, so that she could finally tell him how she really felt about her friend. The bluenette was both excited and sick at the same time, because there was no backing down after she'd said that.<p>

What if Terra didn't like her, though? The idea alone was enough to leave her paralyzed.

Shaking her head, she quickly grabbed her phone and punched in his number (which she knew by heart) before she would change her mind. However, it wasn't Terra who picked up the phone.

_"Hello?"_ a rather melodious female voice said.

She was positive that she'd heard that gentle voice before, but she was too surprised to be able to figure out why it sounded so achingly familiar.

"Uh… Terra?"

_"Oh err... Terra's a little...busy at the moment. He really has his hands full, so that's why he couldn't answer the phone himself. But I can pass on some information if you'd like?"_

Suddenly, Aqua's eyes widened considerably. She'd recognized that voice from the way she was talking and her breath caught in her throat. This was the last person she'd expected to talk to when calling her best friend…

_"Who is this?"_ Kairi continued, totally oblivious to the caller's shock. _"Hello?"_

Aqua, however, didn't bother to reply. The line went dead when she slowly hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Terra, who just returned from the kitchen holding two huge glasses in his hands, asked curiously.

"I...don't know," Kairi replied truthfully. A light frown was evident on her angelic face. "There was this woman who needed to speak with you, but she didn't say what it was about. Nor did she give a name."

He raised a brow. The thought that maybe Aqua had called him briefly crossed his mind, but he knew that couldn't be the case; Aqua would always introduce herself.

"That's weird. But it was probably not that important. And if it was, they'll most likely call again. I hope." After a short pause, he handed her a full glass of some baby pink-colored drink, keeping an identical glass for himself. "Here's your strawberry milkshake à la Terra."

"Thanks. You really do make the best milkshakes," she said with a dazzling smile, after taking a small sip of the sweet drink.

"What can I say, I've got the magic in me."

After that, the conversation between them loosened up some more to the point where Kairi suddenly found herself saying, "I really like spending time with you."

The woman bit her lower lip as soon as she realized what she'd said. She wasn't even drunk to blame it on the alcohol.

For a moment, when it became incredibly silent between them, the redhead feared that she had gone too far and had damaged whatever there had been between Terra and her. But then... "Well, that's good, 'cause the feeling's mutual."

He leaned in even closer (since when had he been this close to begin with?) and she mimicked his movements. Now, he was easily able to count the speckles in her eyes if he'd wanted to…

Of course, Terra had different plans, and Kairi didn't seem to mind at all.

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><p><strong>AN: *Holds breath* The first kiss in this story! :O About time too lol.**

**Next chapter****: _"It's like I found my other half. Unbelievable!"_**


	22. Handkerchief

**A/N: *facepalm* I missed my own anniversary on this site. I've been on here for 5 years now, woo! :D Thanks everyone for sticking with me for so long (though I think that most of you reading this story don't know me for that long lol). *-* Again, this chapter isn't betaed, so if you catch any glaring errors, don't hesitate to tell me. ;)**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, koryandrs, MaroonAngel of Darkness, Amulet Misty, HawkRider, Haou Judai 4ever, sorikuroxasaqua, and Tiphereth25. :)**

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><p>~<em> "It's like I found my other half. Unbelievable!" ~<em>

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><p><strong>22) Handkerchief<strong>

By evening, Aqua had finally gathered enough (though barely) courage to make a decision. She would have to visit Terra to tell him what she felt for him in person. Hopefully, Kairi had left by then, so that the bluenette could have him all for herself. And if she hadn't... Well, Aqua hadn't really thought of what she would do then. Probably ask if she could speak with Terra alone or something.

After giving herself a last once-over in the mirror and fixing her hair, she took a deep breath and made her way to Terra's. All the while she had this weird feeling that she shouldn't be doing this if she didn't want to damage her friendship with the brunet man.

* * *

><p>Luckily, Terra was the one who opened the front door. When he saw it was Aqua, he smiled at once and said, "Hey! Come on in."<p>

Her heart skipped a beat or two, like usual, but she ignored it for the time being. "You look happy," she noted, while stepping inside.

She breathed in through her nose and was surprised to find out that Terra's apartment now had this lingering smell of roses. _Kairi's perfume_. Aqua didn't know why, but it instantly made her nervous. It felt like a bad sign, as if the fact that Terra seemed so happy was because of the pretty redhead.

"I _am_ happy," was the simple response.

"Well, I'm gl-"

She stopped in mid-sentence when she spotted the handkerchief that was lying on the couch. It was white with pink rose petals imprinted on it and it looked rather girly. _Definitely_ not Terra's style. The longer she stared at it, the less it seemed to belong in this room.

Terra followed her gaze. "What's the matter, Aqua?"

For once, she decided to be direct about it, even though it wasn't really her business (not that Terra would ever care, but still). Pointing at it, she said with an air of what she hoped sounded like mere curiosity, "Oh, nothing. That handkerchief… Is that yours?"

"Oh uhm…no. It's Kairi's actually. Guess she forgot it."

_Kairi's... Of course_, she thought. _I wouldn't be surprised if she left it behind on purpose, just so that she can come and visit him again._

The moment she thought that, she shook her head. Now she was being silly.

"I'm glad you're here, Aqua. Because there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

He nodded to the couch, which she took as a cue to sit down. Terra only started talking when she had sat down.

"It's about Kairi," he said, as though he was about to tell her a big secret.

"Oh?"

Aqua starting to get a sickly feeling, but her eyes still didn't leave his as she prayed that she wouldn't hear what she was fearing the most right now.

"You're not going to believe this, but we're actually kinda dating now, so…"

"...Oh."

Terra smiled, completely oblivious to the state Aqua was in. "Yeah. It's like I've found my other half. Unbelievable!"

Aqua nodded, but her mind barely registered that fact. Even her voice didn't sound like hers when she said, "That's great, Terra. I'm happy for you."

She didn't tell him what it felt like for her; as if she was losing her other half. The more he said, the more she started to wish that somehow the ground would open up and swallow her. What difference did it make what she really thought when he didn't harbor the same feelings for her? Why had she ever thought she would stand a chance, anyway? Terra was a really handsome guy. He got more than enough attention on the streets, even if all he did was shopping at the grocery store. He took good care of himself and that showed and attracted a lot of women.

Talk about getting that kind of bitch slap in the face that knocks out all your teeth...

"She's so amazing, I'm sure the two of you will get along just fine. And then, I can be around two of my three favorite women in the world as much as I'd like," Terra went on with a grin from ear to ear.

She looked at her childhood friend, but frankly, she didn't hear a thing of what he said after the one sentence that made her world crumble down. She'd always seen Terra as the missing puzzle piece in her life, in more ways than one. How could she not when they always did everything together? Not to mention the fact that she had fallen for him without even realizing it. Though deep in her heart, she'd always known. It was probably incredibly stupid and cliché, but it had been inevitable. Who _wouldn't_ fall for someone like Terra after all?

She'd wanted to tell him that tonight. But now… How could she do that to him, when he seemed to be the happiest man in the world because of Kairi?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Let's all take a moment to mourn for the poor bluenette who got friendzoned _just like that_. :(**

**Next chapter****: _Aqua stared at him, and before she could stop herself, she promptly started crying._**


	23. Sweep

**A/N: You know, as I was writing this, I realized that all the characters you'll see in this fic (save for Aqua) are based on someone I know. I have no idea why I'm realizing this only now, but I can't be the only one doing this...right? And as always I apologize for the lack of action. I'm slipping into a hiatus I think...**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness, koryandrs, sorikuroxasaqua, Tiphereth25, Amaya Verascola, Fanfiction Bard, HawkRider, Deathgeass, and akaruidreams. :)**

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><p>~<em> <em>Aqua stared at him, and before she could stop herself, she promptly started crying.<em> ~_

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><p><strong>23) Sweep<strong>

Aqua stopped her cleaning long enough to give Terra one of her rare, peeved looks. "Will you just drop it already? I already told you, I'm_ fine_."

Her mouth, that was now a thin line, said the opposite to him, though.

Terra let out a deep sigh. "Aqua..."

How long did she plan to keep up with this nonsense, he wondered. Knowing Aqua, it could literally take _months_ before she finally told him why she was acting weird. Yes, he had more than enough experience with that...unfortunately.

So Terra had told Aqua that he'd started dating Kairi. Now the bluenette was sweeping the non-existent dust and Terra just knew that something was terribly wrong. He wasn't sure what it could be, but it - whatever this "it" was - didn't feel right at all. After all, Aqua only cleaned her apartment as if her life depended on it when something was bothering her _immensely_.

To his great chagrin, however, she kept insisting that everything was fine. Maybe to the point where she'd started believing it herself, but Terra couldn't be fooled that easily. Had it been any other moment, he would have found it funny how well they knew each other; he only had to look at her body language to know that things didn't add up. Sometimes not even that; sometimes he just had a hunch. If only Aqua would start admitting to herself that she couldn't hide her issues from him forever.

Eventually, Terra sighed and gave up. Women were impossible sometimes, but he was fairly capable of recognizing a lost case. He'd talk to Ven about it when he saw him again. Surely, the blonde would be able to get some info out of her; everyone knew of Aqua's weakness against Ventus's puppy dog eyes. Even Terra himself found it difficult at times to say no to his youngest friend, and that said something. Thanks to the fact that he now knew how human beings work, Ventus was practically invincible.

"I should go now. I have a meeting in an hour. Larxene will skin me alive if I dare to come late again. Take care."

"Good luck."

Terra frowned. She wouldn't even look at him, almost as though she was mad. His mood didn't improve when he slipped thanks to the wet floor and hit his shoulder against the door,_ hard_.

A few minutes after Terra had left, Ventus walked in with two huge grocery bags. "Okay, I think we've got everything we need for the feas- _whoa_!"

Before the blond knew what hit him, he slipped and fell on the floor. Everything fell on the floor with him, some things damaged beyond repair. Ven was quick to get on his feet again.

"N'aww, that's too bad… Didn't know you had sweeped the floor as well, Aqua. But I'm okay!"

Aqua stared at him for a moment, and before she could stop herself, she promptly started crying.

At once, Ven's eyes widened in shock. "I'm so sorry, Aqua. I'll clean up everything by myself and I'll go back to the supermarket again, I promise. Please don't cry!"

Aqua hiccupped and shook her head. "N-no. It's fine… It's not that…"

That was all she could say before she broke down in tears again. This time her body shuddered uncontrollably. Ventus quickly led her to the loveseat and tried to comfort her as best as he could. He didn't ask why she was crying yet, but he had the strange feeling that it had something to do with Terra if it wasn't because of the huge mess he'd made. Ven might be the youngest of the trio, but he was not stupid.

Still, it was weird seeing the always so strong Aqua break down like this. It nearly made his own eyes water. He blinked furiously to get a hold of himself. Two crying people was even worse than one crying person.

"You smell like eggs and tomatoes," Aqua said in between hiccups, causing him to laugh.

"Yeah, some of the food landed on my clothes. That's why."

"S-sorry…"

"It's fine, Aqua. You can bake me some of those delicious Grandma cookies for me later to make it up to me."

This elicited a weak laugh from her and Ven let out a relieved sigh. "Thank heavens. For a moment, I was afraid you'd tell me off...or that you'd forgotten how to laugh."

_If only he knew_, she thought to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****Next chapter****: _Terra blinked. "Oh… Sometimes I forget that not all girls are like you."_**


	24. Glass

**A/N: Happy birthday to meee (although it's already April 6th here, but I'm going to pretend I didn't see that lol)! \(^-^)/ As a treat, I decided to update for a change. I'm sorry for the slow (and far too short) updates. I wish it was different, because when I stop writing for more than a month, I turn into a very grumpy person. XD Anyways, enjoy.**

**Thanks: Fanfiction Bard, TopazDragon98, The Punch Lord, ******lordibau, **Amulet Misty, HawkRider, Walker of Nothing, and KairiXPrincessXofXLight. :)**

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><p>~<em> Terra blinked. "Oh… Sometimes I forget that not all girls are like you." ~<em>

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><p><strong>24) Glass<strong>

_"Boo."_

It wasn't even_ that_ loud or scary-sounding (Terra had done much worse things than this, one could be sure of that), but Aqua had been so engrossed with her own thoughts that it still managed to startle her. She gasped and let the glass cup fall out of her hands. Before she knew what was happening, she felt a sharp pain on her right foot, and she stumbled, taken aback. Aqua grabbed for the nearest thing that she could reach to keep her balance...which happened to be Terra. Had it been any other moment, she would have gotten as red as a tomato (at the least). However, the pain in her foot, sharp like needles, was currently distracting her too much to feel anything else.

"Careful there! You stepped on the glass," Terra noted, his voice laced with worry.

"Thanks...for pointing out the obvious," the bluenette said through gritted teeth.

Terra sighed. He seemed to ponder over something, before shrugging as though it was nothing, and picking her up just like that.

"W-wait. What are you doing?"

He didn't reply, while he carried her to the bathroom. Terra didn't waste any time when he got there; he gently put her down on a mini-stool that was already standing there. This way, it would be easier for him to take the tiny pieces of glass out of her foot. However, that task didn't seem to be as easy as he'd thought at first.

"Ow! It _hurts_," she said between gasps.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm almost done. I promise."

"You said that three minutes ago."

Terra merely smirked at her, but frowned again as he concentrated. Poor Aqua, he thought. It probably hurt a lot more than she let on. Aqua was always trying to look strong and unfazed.

* * *

><p>After a while, the brunet had finally managed to succeed to make his friend's foot glass-free.<p>

Aqua smiled at him, more than glad that the torture was finally over. "Thanks, Terra."

"Don't mention-"

"Hey guys, guess what?"

The both of them simultaneously turned their heads, just in time to see Kairi enter the room. She was looking cheerful as ever. Then, the woman's eyes fell on the trace of blood. A few drops that led from the kitchen to the bathroom were enough to make her shiver.

"Is that…"

Kairi's blue eyes widened. Before she could finish her sentence, she made a weird sound and started to lose her balance. Terra quickly jumped forward to catch her in his arms, before she would hit the ground and get hurt.

_Now I can see why you like her so much_, Aqua thought, sarcastically. _Being around her makes you feel like the knight in shining armor, huh?_

She couldn't help but feel guilty immediately afterwards. Kairi was such a sweet young woman; how in the world could she think so negatively about her? Surely, it wasn't the redhead's fault that Aqua liked _her_ boyfriend...

Terra blinked, looking almost perplexed or, in a way, unsure of what to do with the woman in his arms now. "_Oh_… Sometimes I forget that not all girls are like you."

Aqua arched a delicate brow. "I hope that's a compliment."

"…You bet."

She smiled, before looking at Kairi again. "Hmm... You should put her on the couch. I'm going to get a glass of water for her. Don't drop her."

Terra gave her a deadpan look. "Yeah, because I was_ totally_ planning on doing that."

Aqua tried not to laugh as she replied, "Just making sure, Terra."

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><p><strong>AN: I'm sorry if these chapters seem like fillers. I promise that it is going somewhere. It just takes a while to get there it seems.**

**Next chapter****: _Terra let out a dramatic sigh. "My dearest Aqua, why must you always be so suspicious about everything I do?"_**


	25. Among

**A/N: Finally; a chapter over a thousand words again. :D **This idea was actually based on chapter 13 of my challenge "Aquatic Angel," _Dearest_. This chapter feels forced, mainly because I feel a little rusty. :/ Either way, e**njoy.**

**Thanks:**** Amulet Misty, Melodious-Nocturne3, TopazDragon98, The Punch Lord, Petite Noir, and Chandramukhi. :)**

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><p>~<em> Terra let out a dramatic sigh. "My dearest Aqua, why must you always be so darn suspicious about everything I do?" ~<em>

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><p><strong>25) Among<strong>

"Hey, watch it you," Aqua exclaimed with a loud laugh, as she quickly shielded herself with her arms before the damage was done.

She was too late, though; all of her clothes and her hair were practically wet through by now, thanks to Stitch's silly antics. But she didn't mind one bit; she was used to it by now, because it happened every time she took Stitch for a nice, thorough bath. Besides, she enjoyed the lighthearted play fights with her pet. It was a fun way to kill time or unwind. God knew she needed it with such a hectic life.

At that moment, the doorbell rang, which caught both Aqua's and Stitch's attention. She got up from the tiny stool she was sitting on and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was plastered on her skull, looking darker than usually thanks to the soapy water. She looked like a mess. Oh well, there wasn't much she could do now. She just fervently hoped that it wasn't Leon. That man had seen her in enough awkward situations to know that her life wasn't exactly normal. Thank heavens he was not the kind of person to bring it up in front of anyone.

"Ugh, great timing. You stay here, okay? We're not done yet," she said to her beloved pet in a solemn tone, but the smile that adorned her pretty face gave away how amused she actually was.

Stitch nodded and splashed some more water over the bathtub for good measure. Usually, Aqua would give him a mop too and after they were done with the bath. They would dry and clean up the bathroom together. Stitch was rather fast, so thankfully, it never took them too long.

The first thing Terra said when she opened the door was, "Whoa, what in the world happened to you? Did Zack drop by again?"

She rolled her eyes, knowing very well that he was referring to the day that the two had met, but she had trouble with keeping a straight face. For some reason, thinking about Zack always made her want to laugh. He was a good guy, no doubt, but the way he sometimes handled things... He was like a mix of Terra and Ven...as weird as that may sound.

"Very funny, Terra. And hello to you, too." Aqua stepped aside to let him in. "So, what brought you here all of a sudden?"

"Whoa there. 'All of a sudden'? You're acting as if I never visit you or something."

"Well, that's because you really don't. Not without a reason that would benefit you at least."

"What, so you don't trust me when I say I'm here from the goodness of my heart?" Terra asked indignantly.

"No, I don't," Aqua replied with a shake of her head, without missing a beat.

The brunet man sighed wearily. "Okay, look. I just wanted to see how you were doing today. I know you've been very busy with your concerts and that Leon guy and stuff, so I wanted to check on you and see if you were all right. That is all."

It was silent for a moment, as Aqua stared at him quietly. Then, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "I still don't believe you."

Terra let out a dramatic sigh. "My dearest Aqua, why must you always be so darn suspicious about everything I do?"

"Oh, I don't know," she started, sarcastically. "Maybe because every time you start acting all sweet like this, you've either done something that's going to make me very mad when I find out about it, or you want me to do something for you. So which one is it this time?"

A shocked expression adorned his handsome face, but Aqua wouldn't fall for that.

"What? How can you say that? I would never do that!" Terra let out.

The blue-haired teen lifted a thin brow at his words. "Oh no? Are you even being honest to yourself anymore?"

Among all of Terra's characteristics, she knew she had to be the most careful when this one showed up. But this didn't make him look less charming.

Terra blinked a couple of times, before sighing. Maybe Aqua knew him better than he'd thought…

"Okay... I wanted to ask you for a favor too. I might be in need of a little Munny," he admitted slowly, not daring to look at her.

Whether it was out of embarrassment, or more to play the sweet, innocent guy-role, she was not sure.

"Oh?"

Again, Aqua tried not to smile, but it was so darn hard now!

"Yeah... You see, I was already broke when I bought Ven his birthday present earlier this month, and now I just know that there's not enough money left on my bank account, because I still have to survive until the 26th..."

Aqua shrugged. "It's no problem, Terra, I can lend you some. What do you need it for? Just food?"

He still wasn't looking at her when he admitted, "Actually... It's for Kairi. She invited me to her birthday."

As soon as she'd heard that, the smile on her face faded. _Of course_ it had to be for her again. Everything he did was always for Kairi alone. But she didn't have the heart to say that she didn't want her money to be used like that.

Without being able to control herself, she slowly started losing her patience. "Then why in the world didn't you save some Munny if you knew her birthday would be around soon?"

"That one should be obvious enough. How was I supposed to know she'd invite me too along with her other old friends?" he replied, as though it was the most logical mistake to make.

Aqua could barely resist the urge to facepalm. "_Ugh!_"

"_What?_"

"You are the _dumbest_ smartass I know!" she said angrily, before turning around and stomping out of the living room.

"What..." Terra blinked when he heard how she closed her bathroom door and then locked it. "So, I'm not getting the money then? ...Aqua? You still there?"

"Go away!" he heard from the other side of the bathroom door.

"...Oookay?"

Why was she mad at him? What had he done to aggravate her like this?

Terra scratched the back of his head, utterly confused at this point. _Okay, what the hell did just happen?_

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><p><strong>AN: Yaaay, with this chapter, I've officially finished 25% of this story (not counting the sequel). And it only took me two years and two months. *Does a small victory dance.***

**Next chapter****: _Borrowing money from her to buy a birthday present for Kairi was one thing. But when he even replaced every memory he had with her with memories of Kairi, it became just too much for her._**


	26. Photo

**A/N: I'm sorry for not replying to all reviews. I really wish I had the time to do so, but alas. :/ Just know that I read every single one of them and they make my day! *hug* Also, with this chapter, I have published over 750,000 words on this site! Another proof that I have no life lol.**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, Yimo, The Punch Lord, Jizzle Pop, and HawkRider.**** :)**

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><p>~<em> <em>Borrowing money from her to buy a birthday present for Kairi was one thing. But when he even seemed to replace every memory he had with her with memories of Kairi, it became just too much for her.<em> ~_

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><p><strong>26) Photo <strong>

Honestly, Aqua wasn't so sure why Terra detested Larxene that much. Sure, she was a tad weird (okay, very, _very_ weird. Probably the weirdest woman Aqua knew), but not exactly bitchy as he'd often describe her. The only notable thing about the blonde woman was that she was smiling and flirting a little too much for Aqua's taste. But then, shouldn't that be a reason for Terra to be flattered or something? Unless Larxene didn't flirt with him of course. Maybe he was just jealous that he didn't get as much attention. Aqua couldn't help but grin at that.

_Oh, how typical of you to be that way, Terra._

Were all handsome men like that? Did they all get offended by the lack of winks directed to them? It was somehow petty and somehow cute, she had to admit that to herself.

Aqua shook her head; if she didn't concentrate enough, she'd walk past Terra's little office. The bluenette had decided to bring Terra his lunch, because she knew that he didn't always take the time to eat something. He could be such a scatterbrain sometimes. A lovable scatterbrain, but still.

When she put the homemade package on his desk, her hand accidentally brushed against the mousepad. That was when his computer screen lit up again. She'd been expecting to be greeted by the familiar desktop that was a photo of Terra, Ven and herself, chilling at the lake near Ven's college with a huge grin plastered on their faces. Naminé, Ven's girlfriend, had taken that photo. However, to her big surprise, she saw that that picture on his desktop was replaced with another one. This picture was of Terra and Kairi. They were smiling, looking happier than ever. Terra was holding Kairi in his strong arms, while kissing her cheek. Kairi was the one who had probably been holding the camera to shoot this selfie. The image was like a slap in Aqua's face. She wasn't sure whether to feel betrayed or..._lost_.

Blinded by despair, she turned around in one swift move. She had seen more than enough here. Before she could walk out the door, however, she bumped into Terra, the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Whoa, easy there." The dark-haired man quickly grabbed her shoulders to steady her and looked at her. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm sorry. I have to go," she said quickly, before making a quick dash to the door, right under his arms.

The last thing she needed was for Terra to see the tears in her eyes.

Borrowing money from her to buy a birthday present for Kairi was one thing. But when he even seemed to replace every memory he had with her with memories of Kairi, it became just too much for her.

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><p><strong>AN: The next chapter, a new character will be introduced. I've been looking forward to this moment for more than a year now. X3**

**Next chapter****: _Okay, so he was cocky, but somehow, it fit him. It made him look rather…charming. Did that even make any sense?_**


	27. Truth

**A/N: **This takes place a few months after the previous chapter.** **Aqua and the new character are 24 years old, Leon's 27, Terra's 25 and Kairi's 22.****

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, Yimo, Haru, The Punch Lord, and Keppaku.**** :)**

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><p>~<em> <em>Okay, so he was cocky. Very much so even. But somehow, it fit him. It made him look rather…charming. Did that even make any sense?<em> ~_

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><p><strong>27) Truth<strong>

Terra blinked, utterly dumbfounded, as though he'd waken up from a daze. "Huh, wha...?"

It was quite clear that he hadn't been paying attention. She could only guess for how long that had been the case, and who he was thinking of.

Aqua sighed wearily, trying not to look too disappointed at the fact that he hadn't heard a word of what she was saying. "I was talking about the picnic we all promised to have. You know, tomorrow?" she reminded him gently.

Terra's eyes widened, because he had forgotten all about the picnic. "Oh. About that… I'm sorry, but I can't go tomorrow."

Aqua frowned, feeling like she just got a bucket of the coldest water thrown in her face. "Why not?"

She had been looking forward to this moment for so long; finally, the three of them could be alone, just like the good old days. Of course, this idea had been too good to be true.

"I already promised Kairi to go see that new movie with her. I think it was called Operation l'Amour,* or something. I'm sorry."

And he truly did seem to be sorry. The movie he was talking about did sound familiar to her too, because the media gave it a lot of attention, unfortunately. It was another attempt at one of those horribly cliché plots. Aqua, however, couldn't care any less about it, especially now that Kairi had something to do with it as well. Why was she _always_ in the picture? How did she manage to pull that off?

"Not_ this _again?" She couldn't help but become slightly irritated (more like jealous) at the fact that the red-haired woman was involved. "Just in case you don't remember, you also have friends who would like to see you every now and then, if that isn't too much of a problem. Don't Ven and I have the right to spend some time with you as well? We know we're not your _girlfriend_, but a little bit of credit would be nice, you know. And this is practically a tradition, since we do it every year to celebrate the beginning of our summer vacation!"

Terra rolled his eyes. "Well, I think it's a stupid tradition, anyway. We're not kids anymore. And I don't get why you're being so difficult about this. We drank something together last week, so no need to be so dramatic, okay?"

She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "That was more than two weeks ago and you had to leave after half an hour, because apparently, Kairi couldn't find the light switch without you."

It was out before she could stop it, but she was so angry right now that she didn't really care anymore. Someone had to take the initiative to wake him up and since Ven was still in Twilight Town (he'd arrive here later today, because Naminé still had a project for college to finish), Aqua had to do it this time. She was pretty sure that Ven would agree with her too. The only difference was that Ven wouldn't be so direct about it.

"Why do you have to be so damn selfish? Are you jealous because I actually have a relationship that works, unlike you?" Terra retorted.

It was low, Terra knew that, but Aqua had gone too far now. Sure, she was his best friend, but she had to know that Kairi was important to him too. Aqua couldn't talk badly about her. Besides, he really had no idea why she was going on and on about this, because this wasn't the first time they had to reschedule this "tradition." And not once had she acted like this before.

"Ugh, never mind already! I guess I'll see you around somewhere between now and next year…if you're not too busy with wiping You-Know-Who's ass that is."

With that, she stomped outside, just in time so that Terra didn't see the angry tears that rolled down her face. There was a nagging voice in the back of her mind that told her that maybe she had overstepped the line this time, especially with that last line, but the bluenette was too stubborn and hurt to listen to it.

* * *

><p>The only good thing about today was the nice weather, which was why Aqua had decided to go to the Moogle Ice Cream Palace by herself. They had moved some tables outside, because it was so warm today, so she chose a table that was farther away from the roadside. She was avoiding all the other public places that Terra and Kairi visited often. The last thing she wanted was to run into a cheerful Kairi. Had Kairi not become Terra's girlfriend, Aqua might have become one of her greatest friends. But alas, real life didn't work that way...<p>

At times like these, when she was all alone with those poisonous thoughts of hers, she really missed the good old times, when she could afford herself to be carefree and everything had been so easy. Her heart was aching for the times that she didn't have to try and ignore all the happy couples around her, just because it hurt too much to see those smiles on their faces.

She didn't know why, but suddenly, she thought about what Terra had once told her in the past: "There's gonna be a day when you'll regret growing up…"

That moment seemed to be now. He'd been so right about that. This day sucked so much; she didn't even want to begin to imagine how mad Terra was. How was she ever supposed to make it up to him now? She had insulted his girlfriend, and _how_.

It was only then that she realized how she had been staring at a dark-haired man for quite a while now... And he was staring right back at her with his glowing golden-brown eyes. Well drat.

Aqua twitched and quickly averted her gaze. This was just her luck to look like a total creep. Sometimes she was so deep in thought that she didn't even realize who she was staring at until it was far too late to rely on acting nonchalant to get away with it. It seemed to happen more often lately. Talk about awkward with a capital A. Unfortunately for her, she was too late this time; the man had already gotten up from his seat and he was heading her way now. At this point, Aqua was starting to panick visibly.

_Please please please don't let him be some angry douche. That's the last thing I need today_, she thought.

She had expected to hear something along the lines of, "The hell do you want from me, woman?" from the stranger.

Instead, he went for a more direct yet surprising approach. "What's on _your_ mind? Did something happen?"

Aqua frowned as she looked at him. He seemed so familiar, from the black, gravity-defying spiky hair to the smoldering eyes. He was rather handsome too, what with his lightly tanned skin and designer clothes. And if she forced herself to ignore that arrogant look on his face, he could even be called beautiful...in a dark way. But there was also something about him that made her feel...uncomfortable. Maybe her mind was just playing tricks on her, but she could feel a dark aura around him.

The bluenette opened her mouth to tell him what was bothering her, but she halted when her first meeting with Terra came to mind. Besides, this guy was a complete stranger. Why would she tell him what was wrong? He wouldn't care anyway.

So instead, she asked, "Why did you bother to come here and ask me that? As far as I know, we don't know each other, so you shouldn't be checking on me like this."

"I just wanted to make sure you're not one of those crazy girls who want to stalk me next. Trust me, I've had the biggest trouble getting rid of my previous little stalker."

The corners of her mouth lifted up slightly, but she suppressed it when she became aware of it. Okay, so he was cocky. Very much so even. But somehow, it fit him. It made him look rather…charming. Did that even make any sense? Maybe it did it this case.

Aqua sighed. "If you must know, I'm fine. It's just that... A good friend of mine that I like doesn't like me all that much at the moment. That's all."

"Well, then he's an idiot, the stinking, dingy goat dung," he replied, without blinking.

Her mouth dropped open and she wondered if she had misheard him. "_Excuse_ me?"

"Do you actually want me to repeat myself?"

That question made it clear that she hadn't.

"No, I don't want you to talk about my friend like that! You don't even know him!" Aqua replied angrily.

"Do I need to know him to be right? It's the _truth_ that he let you down, isn't it? I think that says enough."

"Stop badmouthing him like this! What do _you_ know about the truth? You don't even know the story behind it!"

Without realizing it, the bluenette had gotten up from her seat in the heat of the moment, her gaze never leaving his, blue against gold. Everyone around them was staring at the two and they could probably all feel the tension rising between them.

The dark-haired man lifted a brow at her, while crossing his arms over his chest. "What, now you're actually defending him? I can't believe this. What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with _me_? What's-" She caught herself right in time, shaking her head. Arguing with a total stranger in public? Not the smartest thing you could do. She didn't need the whole town to know that she had a bad day. "Ugh, I don't have to listen to this. Have a good day, Sir."

With that, she got up and walked away in a quick pace. However, she wasn't able to shake off the vague feeling that she had seen him somewhere before. If only her memory wouldn't fail her…

The stranger watched her go, rather intrigued by this seemingly angry but beautiful blue-haired woman. "That's a spicy one, for sure," he muttered, as an amused smirk appeared on his face. "Maybe she's just what I'm looking for…"

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><p><strong>AN: *Operation l'Amour was a nod to one of my few unfinished stories on here. It's pretty old, so it's best that you stay away from it. XD**

**Next chapter****: _"I'm not trying to scare you, or anything… Just consider it a fair warning. Vanitas is known for his dark business."_**


	28. Obnoxious

**A/N: Time for the annual update. ._.**

**Thanks: TopazDragon98, Sorafireice, Amulet Misty, Jizzle Pop, blessedgurl, vrisque, Jesusfreak9224, junjouispure, iVanillelay, HawkRider, Zack1187, Shidasogen24, Kurenai no Musha, Lani Carmine, wolfstar.e99, and StrawberryDemon.**** :)**

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><p>~<em> <em>"I'm not trying to scare you or anything… Just consider it a fair warning. Vanitas is known for his dark business."<em> ~_

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><p><strong>28) Obnoxious<strong>

Terra seemed to have made it up to Aqua for now, but things were still going a little stiff and forced between the two friends. Kairi, however, was as oblivious to that as ever. In fact, she had been the one to invite Aqua to tag along with them. The bluenette had no idea why (and she was regretting it now), but she had accepted the invitation.

Now that she had no choice, Aqua figured to just keep up with the fake smiles as she kept trailing behind them. If anything, this served as a great distraction for her. This way, her mind wouldn't wander off to the mysterious, dark-haired stranger that she met yesterday. That, and maybe she could find away to get closer to Terra again. Though maybe the latter was wishful thinking on her part. He had obviously made his choice, hadn't he?

Every time the couple got a little too close to each other, Aqua had to look away, whether it was because of something simple as Kairi stealing a lick from Terra's strawberry ice cream, or Terra tucking a stray strand of wine red hair behind Kairi's ear. It hurt to the point that it felt as though her heart was about to explode. The bluenette bit her lip and forced away the tears. That was when she tasted blood and she realized that she had bitten her lip a bit too hard.

How much more did she have to suffer, watching Terra be like this, but not with her? It was bad enough that Terra had given Kairi a lift on his motorcycle, while Aqua was forced to come downtown by bike. What a great time for the busses to have a strike...

Aqua blinked a couple of times. Were her eyes deceiving her or did she really just see...? No, she must have imagined it, because her thoughts kept returning-

"_Whoa_!"

She nearly bumped into Kairi, who had stopped walking too.

"Well, well. Look who we have here? Shopping with the beloved boyfriend I see?"

As fate would have it, it was the stranger with the glowing eyes again. His voice gave Aqua goosebumps.

"Vanitas," Kairi said politely. She looked at Terra, before continuing. "Well, you already know Terra. This is his friend Aqua. Aqua, may I introduce you to Vanitas, my best friend's brother. "

"Ah, a pleasure to see you again," Vanitas said with a smirk.

Terra and Kairi exchanged surprised glances, but that went unnoticed by Aqua.

"Likewise," was all Aqua could say.

Was it just a coincidence that this stranger showed up out of nowhere or was there more behind it?

_Why should I even care? It's not like he's here for me anyway._

"Well, we were about to take a break and have a drink somewhere. Care to tag along?" Terra asked, just as politely.

Aqua nearly choked on her own spit at that. _Terra, what are you doing!?_

The bluenette was so shocked that she didn't notice the disapproving look that appeared on Kairi's face.

Vanitas thought about it for a moment. Then he said, "Sounds like _fun_."

Aqua wondered why Vanitas emphasized the word fun. Not that she had enough time to ponder over that; the four of them already found a table and they sat down. Next, Terra and Vanitas volunteered to get their drinks for all of them. Aqua hoped fervently that this Vanitas guy wouldn't tell Terra anything she had said during their first meeting...

"You know, I don't really like him," Kairi muttered suddenly. "He's a little…"

"Obnoxious," Aqua finished for her, nodding all the while.

"Yes… Although 'a little' is quite an understatement in this case. So how do you know him?"

"We met yesterday, actually. I don't know him that well."

"Oh... Well, I can see why he's interested in you."

Aqua gave her a puzzled look. "You do?"

"Why, yes! Your face looks a lot like his ex's face… except for your hair color. Hers was black. It's almost scary, really. Her name was Xion and a few months ago, she disappeared mysteriously. Nobody knows what happened to her, but many people suspect Vanitas from having something to do with it. Especially because he didn't seem to be all that fazed by her disappearance…" When Kairi saw how Aqua's eyes had widened in horror, she continued, "I'm not trying to scare you or anything… Just consider it a fair warning. Vanitas is known for his dark business. I'm not too sure what exactly his business is nowadays, but I can tell you this much; he's dangerous, and not in the cool, rebel-esque way. He's the exact opposite of his happy-go-lucky brother, who seems to emit light wherever he is. Vanitas reeks of Darkness."

Well, this was good to know.

"But why isn't he arrested yet? Surely, the policemen can find some proof of his…business, or that he's got to do something with Xion's disappearance?"

Kairi shook her head. After seeing that the coast was still clear, she continued, "You don't get it, Vanitas is a professional. He makes sure to cover his tracks. That, and he hasn't done anything illegal ever since he met his ex… save for downloading music from the internet maybe. Rumor has it that he's been on the right path for almost two years now, thanks to Xion…"

"I see..."

That should explain why Aqua felt so weird around him.

"Then again, who am I to say that that's the reason he seems so interested in you? You are extremely pretty after all." Aqua wanted to protest, but the redhead went on as though she hadn't heard her. "I have to admit, even I was a little jealous at the fact that you and Terra are such close friends. He eulogizes you every time he mentions you! But after really getting to know you, I learned that you weren't a threat at all. You're just best friends, nothing more. In fact, I'm glad that I have a friend like you. It always comes in handy when I need to know something about Terra and… I don't really have that many girl friends, so this is a nice change as well."

Aqua smiled at her, even though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. _Way to rub it in... She has no idea._

Unfortunately for Aqua and Kairi, they had to drop the subject, because Terra and Vanitas were within earshot again. Aqua, who had unconsciously been sitting closer to Kairi, sat back again, feigning nonchalance, although Kairi's story didn't exactly make her feel any better. She wasn't sure if she was just imagining it, but it seemed as though Vanitas's eyes were resting on her for a bit too long to brush it off as coincidence. Still, that could mean anything.

Just who was this man? What was he really hiding from the world?

Somehow, Aqua just knew that her life would be at risk if she ever found that out.

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><p><strong>AN: I would really appreciate it if you could take a look at my new poll. :) **

**Next chapter****: **_**Riding on a motorcycle was one thing, but riding on a stranger's motorcycle… That did make her feel a little uneasy. Not to mention the fact that this person was a potential killer. What in the world was she doing?**_


	29. Riding

**A/N: Perhaps a bit of a pointless chapter, but I was trying to delve deeper into Vanitas's character (by making him both a badass ánd a jerk. Not sure if I succeeded lol). I hope you all enjoy anyway.**

**Thanks: Sorafireice, StrawberryDemon, ZalelTribal, mutgarcia, HawkRider, Amulet Misty, attack on kronos, Jiemme, and SkylarkRequiem.**** :)**

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><p>~<em> Riding on a motorcycle was one thing, but riding on a stranger's motorcycle… That did make her feel a little uneasy. Not to mention the fact that this person was a potential killer. What in the world was she doing? ~<em>

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><p><strong>29) Riding<strong>

A while later, the group of four decided to call it a day and head home. Of course, the fairytale-esque couple led the way, hand holding included. Once again, Aqua had to avert her gaze when Kairi laughed at something that Terra said.

"Well, well..." At this point, Vanitas had started walking next to her. "Suddenly, the story you told me the other day all starts to make sense," he remarked softly, his gaze never leaving Terra and Kairi, who were flirting shamelessly, as usual.

Aqua just looked at him, feeling cold from the inside, and he continued, "Don't worry. Your little secret is safe with me."

She couldn't help but notice how he made it all sound so dark and dirty.

"What's the catch?" she found herself asking immediately.

This made him chuckle darkly. "Always suspicious, aren't you? There is no catch… Not this time at least."

_Leave it to him to make this sound even more ominous_, she thought.

Vanitas sure had a way with words, but not in the good way.

"Uhm...Aqua?" Terra started, giving her a mildly surprised look. "Didn't you put your bike next to my glider?"

She finally caught up with the two lovebirds and Aqua realized something else that would make this day complete. Because the bus drivers were on a strike, she had come here by bike. However, when she reached the shed, there was no bike in sight. That could only mean one thing: someone had stolen her bicycle.

"Ugh, just _great_." The bluenette didn't even bother to hide the sour look on her face.

It was getting dark by now. Kairi had already taken the vacant spot on Terra's glider. So that wasn't an option. Could this day get any worse?

"So now what? How will you get home?" Kairi wondered, looking worried as well.

Aqua sighed. "I don't know, I guess I'll just walk from here."

"But that will cost you nearly an hour!" Terra protested. "What if you run into some creep?"

"Does it look like I have another choice?"

She was trying so hard not to snap at her friend, but the situation wasn't making it any easier. She was tired, annoyed and sad. And if Kairi hadn't been here, she could have asked Terra to give her a lift.

_But if Kairi wasn't here, you wouldn't be either, because she was the one who actually bothered to invite you_, a little voice in the back of her head said.

"I can give you a lift, if you'd like. My motorcycle is big enough for the two of us."

This earned Vanitas a baffled look from both Aqua and Kairi.

"Good idea! Good thing we ran into you today, Vanitas," Terra said with a smile.

"I agree."

It was settled. Apparently, Kairi hadn't told her boyfriend about Vanitas's past. She could bet all her Munny on it. Then again, the redhead wasn't protesting, either.

Aqua blinked. "_Oh_. Uh... Okay. Let's go then, I guess," she said, trying not to sound reluctant.

Riding on a motorcycle was one thing, but riding on a stranger's motorcycle… That did make her feel a little uneasy. Not to mention the fact that this person was a potential killer. What in the world was she doing? Well, it was too late to turn back now, she reasoned with herself. Besides, Terra was right; she had no idea who she could run into. The streets weren't as safe as they used to be, so it could be someone with a much more aggressive past than Vanitas. And Vanitas wouldn't dare to do anything, right? Not when both Kairi and Terra knew she was with him.

_How would you know how a criminal's mind works? Good people with healthy, logical thoughts don't kill their ex, remember?_ that nagging voice said again, but she chose to ignore it this time.

"Are you coming or what? I don't have all night," Vanitas sneered impatiently.

He threw his spare helmet at her, which she barely caught before it would collide right with her face. She gave him the dirtiest look she could muster, which he answered with a smug smirk. After putting on the black helmet, she climbed behind him and sat down.

"Hold on tight," he said warningly, before the engine came to life with a mighty roar.

Vanitas didn't have to say that twice; the man turned out to be quite the speed demon. After each and every turn, Aqua feared she was going to fall off the motorcycle. Not once did she catch him in the act of slowing down. Instead, he zigzagged through the traffic like a pro. How they were still alive and well was one of life's bigger mysteries.

"Take the next turn. My house is the third on the left," she yelled, unconsciously tightening her grip on him at the prospect of yet another turn.

Needless to say, the bluenette thanked the heavens for the fact that the dangerous trip was over. She was _never_ going to do something like this again.

"Glad to have solid ground under your feet again?" he asked with an amused smirk.

"Glad to have made it out alive," she corrected him. "Why did you have to race like that anyway? Don't you know how reckless you were being?"

He waved it away like it was nothing. "Nah. I knew what I was doing."

_Sounds like he's always driving like that. And here I thought that Terra was a maniac on the road._

"But why?" she repeated.

"Because it makes me feel free," was the simple reply.

The bluenette frowned, not sure what to make of that. Was he trying to sound mysterious on purpose?

Aqua thanked him for the ride home and wished him a safe trip back (he needed all the luck he could get). She didn't ask him to come inside with her for a cup of tea, simply because she didn't trust him. He had this weird aura around him that made her feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was the leather and the helmet that he still was wearing (she could feel his eyes on her form, even though she couldn't see him look at her)… Or it was because of his unknown past. Most likely a combination of all that.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter****:** _**The chances of her ever being with Terra had now dropped to exactly minus ten percent.**  
><em>

**The next chapter should be up soon, 'cause it's typed out already.**


	30. Leaf

**A/N: Just to make some things clear, this takes place a few months after the previous chapter and Terra and Kairi have been a couple for two years. So by now, Aqua and Vanitas are 25 years old, Leon's 28, Terra's 26 and Kairi's 23. Even though this chapter's rather heavy, the next one will be worse. XD Sorry.**

**Funfact: this was supposed to be the second chapter of the story, before I decided to write AC in chronological order instead of using flashbacks and all. So I already knew what was happening, I just hadn't figured out when I should reveal this part to you guys.**

**Thanks: ZalelTribal, 1trueguess, Sorafireice, StrawberryDemon, and zeyneo.**** :)**

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><p>~ <em>The chances of her ever being with Terra had now dropped to exactly minus ten percent. ~<em>

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><p><strong>30) Leaf<strong>

The gentle, almost graceful way in which the colored leaves fell down, leaving the trees nude, bald and ugly, couldn't distract her from the current situation. Aqua sighed wearily, as she looked out of the dirty window. She made a mental note to clean them this weekend… if it didn't rain, that is. However, she couldn't bring herself up to do it now.

She followed one particular leaf with her eyes, until it quietly fell on the ground. It was a soft, wine-red color. Just like Kairi's hair.

Red leaves had always been Aqua's favorite ones... But not anymore. She prefered the brown ones now, the ones that looked dead and crushed, both from the outside and the inside. Not the fire-kissed ones, fresh and spicy, but the forgotten, burned ones. Why? Because she felt exactly the same as those. She remembered a time when she had loved to collect different kind of leaves of all shapes and sizes. The bluenette would let some of them dry, putting them between her favorite books, until they were so dry that she could get rid of the green. That way, only the leaf's frame was left, along with a maze of its veins. Other leaves, however, were too beautifully colored to do that, so she'd keep them whole.

Sometimes Terra would help her too, but not without reminding her every three seconds that she was such a _girl_, to which she would retort, "What was your first clue?"

It had been their tradition when fall came around the corner. Now, it was merely an old tradition that she missed more than anything.

Aqua wasn't in the mood to do anything productive as of lately. Even worse was the fact that the days went by so slowly during fall. It was maddening. Almost as though she had all the time of the world now and to be honest, the blue-haired woman didn't know what to do with that feeling. Yes, there had been times that she'd felt _much _better, but yesterday had changed everything.

Eight words, that was all it took to shatter her heart into a billion pieces, _again_.

_"I proposed to Kairi... And she said 'yes.'"_

These words kept plaguing her, over and over again. That one thing she'd feared the most had happened. Terra, her best friend and biggest crush since her childhood, would marry the oh so perfect Kairi on the first day of spring, next year. And she was supposed to be happy about that...even if the chances of her ever being with Terra had now dropped to exactly minus ten percent.

What had happened next, had been just as painful; the brunet man had asked her - no, he'd _pleaded_ - to be his second at his wedding. With much difficulty from her side, she had muttered a quiet, "Sure."

How could she ever refuse anything he asked her when she was so deeply in love with him? Call it utterly pathetic, but even if she knew she couldn't get Terra, she still wanted to be near him. It made her happy to see him. He was like her drug; she _needed_ to be around him in order for her mind to be at ease.

One would wonder why she'd never tried to tell him how she felt. Truth was, she had, countless times before. But Terra...he just didn't see it, all those little hints she always left for him, ready to be picked up. Aqua had always been naturally shy. That was the main reason why she didn't tell him right away. That, and the fact that he might not return the feelings. After all, the more obvious she would make it, the more he seemed to be ignoring it. Terra couldn't really be that dense that he hadn't noticed anything by now, right?

And then, just when she'd finally gathered enough courage to tell him everything, he just _had _to meet Kairi and start dating her. She'd been happy for him, of course, but _so_ hurt. This had confirmed Aqua's suspicions that Terra would never look at her the way she looked at him. She had been friendzoned a long time ago.

How funny; usually it was the guy that got friendzoned. Wasn't that what always happened in those cliché movies? Apparently, the other way around was possible too. What do you know...

Aqua's attention then fell on her own reflection in the mirror. She inspected herself thoroughly, starting with her cerulean colored hair (she didn't remember if she'd combed it today or not. It didn't matter, anyway. Why should she make a fuss about combing her hair when she had lost everything?) No wonder Terra never paid any attention to her. Compared to Kairi, she was nothing. She'd heard once that Terra liked girls with short hair, so she had cut her hair, keeping it short ever since. And yet, Kairi had rich, long wine-colored hair. Her perfection seemed effortless. She'd seen Terra run his hands through her long locks in amazement often enough, making her heart wrench in jealousy.

When did his taste in girls change? Probably the moment she had decided to look more tomboy-ish.

And what about Aqua's cerulean eyes, that pretty much matched her hair. There was no beauty in them. Kairi's eyes were different, though; mysteriously violet, probably holding as many secrets as Kairi herself. How often had the brunet man admitted that he practically _drowned_ in her eyes every time he looked into them? But had he ever taken a _millisecond_ to look at Aqua's eyes? No, _never_. Or maybe the bluenette would never let him, knowing how she would blush when he looked at her for too long.

As for their skin, both Kairi's and Aqua's skin was fair. The only difference was that the latter knew how the former's face was flawless. Her cheeks even gave her dimples when she smiled. Let that be one of Terra's weaknesses (and Aqua's as well. Especially because Terra had them, too).

This was so not fair. Kairi was a goddess compared to Average Aqua. No wonder Terra had fallen head over heels for little Miss Perfect.

For the first time in years, the autumn would be cold, dark and _long_.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter****: _I was afraid to tell you, and now you'll never know…_**


	31. Wine

**A/N: I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I'm so sorry for the slow updates! I've had to write 3 essays a week, so I didn't have the time (nor the energy) to write more than that. XD Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

**Thanks: ZalelTribal, StrawberryDemon, unicron1000, Lord Razer, Guest, HawkRider, Sopheria, StryXx, Shiranai Atsune, ShippinHermoldy, EnticingNocturne, and limetasse.**** :)**

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><p>~ <em><em>I was afraid to tell you, and now you'll never know… <em> ~_

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><p><strong>31) Wine<strong>

Aqua stared at the half-full glass of wine that she'd just poured into a regular glass for herself (why getting classy when no one was around to see it anyway?). It was hard not to associate it with Kairi and her beautiful hair. After all, if she held it into the light in a certain way, the wine would get the same color and glossiness as her hair.

When Aqua took a sip from her drink, she had to spit it out almost at once. It tasted too sour, she hated it. Her first thought was to get up and pour the remainders of the wine in the sink, before rinsing her mouth thoroughly. However, she decided against that.

_Terra probably has different thoughts about wine now_, she thought bitterly.

He probably thought it was_ intoxicating_, just like Kairi herself. She wouldn't be surprised if he was enchanted. And knowing Kairi, there would be a wine fountain on their…_wedding_.

That word hurt more than anything. This was it. He'd lost terra forever. This alone made her pour another glass for herself… and then another.

She was getting more and more depressed by every passing second. It was like she'd ended in a never-ending pit. She couldn't get her bearings and all she wanted to do now was sleep, preferably for a few decades.

_I was afraid to tell you, and now you'll never know…_

This made her lunge for the wine once again. She'd never really drank alcohol but now seemed to be a good moment to start.

Her dark thoughts were interrupted quite abruptly when her phone that lay on the small coffeetable started buzzing. Apparently, someone was calling her. _Again_. Even though they knew she wouldn't pick up. She sighed, slowly making her way towards the device, like she had all the time of the world. After taking the phone in her delicate hands, the bluenette saw that the caller was no other than Terra himself. Even now, seeing his name on the caller ID gave her a funny feeling near the pit of her stomach.

She was tempted to click him away, ignore him like she had done for almost two days now, but something made her hesitate. Terra really had to be worried if he kept calling her, knowing she wouldn't pick up, even after the 21st time. How she hated her feelings for him. They were taking over her life. Correction: they already had without her ever noticing it.

For as long as she could remember, the brunet's feelings were always taken into consideration in every decision she made. What would he think of this? Would he approve of that? Would it make him happy... or maybe not?

Before Aqua knew what was happening, she heard herself say in a voice that didn't sound like hers at all, "Aqua speaking?"

She tried to sound as neutral as possible, like nothing was wrong.

"_Aqua, where are you? Are you okay? Why didn't you pick up?"_

His usually deep and soothing voice was an octave higher now, filled with concern, annoyance and slight anger.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry. I couldn't find my phone earlier and I had the volume down," she lied, convincingly.

_"Then why didn't you-"_

"Because I just found it," she interrupted him, knowing that he would ask why she hadn't called him back. "And yes. I'm...fine. There's no need to worry about me."

_"You sound tired,_" he then noted.

"I am tired."

_Tired of everything... _she added in her head.

"Listen, I need to go now, or else my food will burn. I'll talk to you later, okay?" she said, hoping he would believe her once again.

"_Oh, sure. I guess you've-"_

Before the man could finish his sentence, Aqua heard another voice through the phone. It belonged to a woman she knew very well...unfortunately.

"_Oh Terra, honey, look at this. Isn't it beautiful?"_

Aqua gasped silently. She didn't want to know what was so beautiful that Kairi just had to show it to Terra. Perhaps she'd found a beautiful location for their marriage, or a stunning wedding dress that would surely make her look prettier. Maybe she'd even found a house for them to live in together...

She hung up, before she would hear more things that would destroy her.

The blue-haired woman closed her eyes, feeling how hot tears slowly trailed down her cheeks. "I wish... I could forget all of this."

Honestly, at this moment, having amnesia didn't seem like such a bad idea. She could start a new life and find someone else who could make her happy. Heck, even that jerk Vanitas would do.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. For a moment, she feared it was Terra, before remembering that he was out, shopping with his beloved fiancé. To her great surprise, it was Vanitas.

_Well well, speaking of the devil. I was wondering when the stalking would begin._

Not that she cared much at the moment. Any distraction was welcome.

"Hey. It seems that the stupid delivery boy gave me your package. Here," he explained, handing her the package.

Aqua, who had been leaning heavily against the door, now had to let go of it. Almost at once, her head started spinning. Out of nowhere, Stitch dashed forwards, making the bluenette almost fall over him. If Vanitas hadn't caught her right in time, she would have fallen headfirst on the hard floor.

"Careful now," he said.

He slowly led her back to the couch in her living-room, after closing the front door with his foot. Aqua was vaguely aware of what was happening. She should probably tell him to leave right away… but everything was so foggy and what damage could it cause? As if things could get any worse after this.

Vanitas put her on the couch carefully, before disappearing out of sight.

She could hear background noise coming from the kitchen. After what seemed to be an eternity, he came back, holding a cup filled with some dark-colored substance. Heaven knew what that was. It could be mud for all she knew.

"Drink this," was all he said.

"What is it?"

"Rat poison." When he saw the shocked look on her face, he retorted, "I was being sarcastic, genius. It's something that will help you with your uh, _current condition_."

"I see…"

Because of course she wasn't lucky enough to be fed rat poison right now.

The concoction was gross, but her head was much clearer now that she'd drank all of it. To her big surprise, Vanitas didn't leave. Instead, he'd decided to sit down next to her and stay for a while. He didn't even talk. His eyes were on Stitch the whole time.

Aqua couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "Terra and Kairi are getting married."

"That so."

Judging by his face, he wasn't surprised at all. Did he know this already? But...how? Vanitas and Kairi didn't seem to be on speaking terms.

Suddenly, he got up.

"Where are you going?"

"Home," was his answer. "You need to get some rest."

"Oh..."

As much as she hated to admit it, she'd enjoyed his company. Maybe she wasn't thinking clearly...

As sneakily as he could, he took the bottle of wine with him too, because he thought she'd had enough of that already.

The next morning, she would wake up, utterly confused and wondering who had put that warm, blue blanket around her…

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter****: This was it, then. Only a month away from the big wedding and Aqua couldn't possibly feel _worse_.**


	32. Video

**A/N: This story is now more than 50,000 words long and I still feel like we haven't gone anywhere. XD But I promise that I still have a few plot twists up my sleeve.**

**Fun fact: I once said "Voulez vou ouvrir la ventre, s.v.p" to a Frenchman. XD**

**Thanks: StrawberryDemon, ZalelTribal, Lord Razer, and Kurenai no Musha.**** :)**

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><p>~ <em>This was it, then. They were only a month away from the big wedding and Aqua couldn't possibly feel any worse.~<em>

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><p><strong>32) Video<strong>

Aqua sighed deeply. She was trying to record a short but sweet video message for Terra and Kairi's wedding, but she kept making stupid little errors. The fact that she couldn't concentrate didn't quite help either.

Naminé had been the one who came up with this idea and everyone had agreed it was a great way to surprise the happy couple. Everybody else was already done with their video, even Ven, and everyone knew how much of a procrastinator he was.

This was of no use. Whatever she said, it was either so fake that anyone could see right through it, or it was highly awkward. Even more awkward than Terra trying to speak French. That thought made her yearn for the past, back when they had been in high school and she'd had to tutor him...

_"Okay, let's see... How do you say, 'Could you open the window, please?'"_

_Terra thought about it for a moment, before saying, "Voulez vous ouvrir… la ventre, sil vous plait?"_

_Aqua couldn't contain herself and started laughing, earning a confused look from her brunet friend. "__What? What did I say?"_

_"Could you open the _stomach_, please?"_

_ "Oh… that's not good."_

_Aqua giggled. "No, not really. The French word for "Window" is "Fenêtre," not "Ventre."_

_"Well, I was close enough. I only forgot the second "e.""_

_"Yeah, well, that one 'e' can make the biggest difference." __Aqua noted._

_"Yeah, no kidding."_

Aqua let out a deep sigh, her gaze travelling to her violin case. That was when an idea sprung to her mind. She got up and took her violin out of its case. If she couldn't say something, she'd just play something for them. At least it was original.

The first melodious notes of Love Story by Francis Lai could be heard, and she could only think of how wrong it was for her to play this piece for them. Her own farewell to Terra, accompanied by never ending sadness. And he didn't even know…

The first thing she thought when she was done with playing was, _Okay, Terra and Kairi are definitely not going to see this._

The song should be upbeat and happy, not sad like this one. After glancing at her watch, she decided that she would think of something fitting later. For now, she had to go and meet Leon, like she had promised.

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><p><em>~Later that day...<em>

Aqua was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice that Leon wasn't paying much attention to anything either. Neither of them was trying to engage the other into a conversation anymore, despite sitting at the same table for fifteen minutes, having lunch together…

They had discussed Terra's upcoming wedding, but after that, she had been even more stuck as to what song to play, so she'd withdrawn herself mentally.

This was it, then. They were only a month away from the big wedding and Aqua couldn't possibly feel any _worse_. How could she not be this upset, when it meant that the chances of her being with Terra were officially reduced to none?

At this point, the blue-haired woman was trying to think of something that could prevent her from attending the wedding. Anything was welcome in order to keep her away from the upcoming wedding, even a coma…

_Maybe I should ask Vanitas to beat me up so badly that I can be excused_, she thought bitterly

But then again, Vanitas probably wouldn't let his own hands get dirty. He had personnel for that.

Deep in her heart, Aqua knew that she had to be there, though. After all, Terra was her best friend. She at leased owed him that…

But it hurt, because _she_ wouldn't be the lucky one.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter****: _"I promise we'll go somewhere crowded. That way, killing you will become quite a task."_**


	33. Hood

**A/N: Another quick update to make up for the previous short chapter.**

**Thanks: Lord Razer, StrawberryDemon, AquaStormXIV, ZalelTribal, and HawkRider.**** :)**

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><p>~ <em>"I promise we'll go somewhere crowded. That way, killing you will become quite a task." ~<em>

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><p><strong>33) Hood<strong>

Aqua had the strange, unsettling feeling that she was being followed. Just like in those scary movies, she started walking faster, hoping to be able to get rid of the stranger. Unfortunately, she could hear from the footsteps behind her that that person mimicked her movements. It didn't help that it was after ten o'clock at night. Some shops were still open at this time, but that didn't make her feel any safer.

As descretely as she could, Aqua glanced over her shoulder...

There was no one there.

_Huh...?_

The bluenette turned her head back again and got startled by a tall, hooded figure that suddenly appeared right in front of her. She yelped, until the unknown figure took off the black hood and revealed his identity. Her mouth dropped open.

"Were you looking for me?" Vanitas asked with a smirk.

Aqua's eyes slowly traveled from the sharp, white fangs on the front of the hoody he was wearing, to the deep amber eyes of the person who had almost given her a heart-attack. "You again? Why do I get the feeling you're stalking me?"

He raised a dark brow at that. "I'm not. I was just heading home."

And she was supposed to believe that? Aqua didn't know what came over her. She couldn't help it but get angry. Honestly, there was no way he could actually live here closeby. How come she'd never seen him around here before? It's not like she walked this route every day with her eyes closed.

"Look. I'm not a damsel in distress. I don't need to be saved, so there's no need for you to play the hero!"

His smirk only widened at that.

"_What_?" she said sharply.

"Trust me, if I had to describe myself, the word 'hero' would be the last thing that came to mind."

No, jerk would probably be more fitting, she thought. _Or murderer…_

"_Excuse_ me?"

Vanitas's tone was icy cold now and this made her realize that perhaps, she had voiced her thoughts instead of keeping it to herself. Well, this was awkward...

She sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just... I heard some questionable things about your past. One of those rumors was a possible murder, so..."

This time, it was Vanitas's turn to sigh deeply. "Let me guess, Kairi told you that?"

Aqua blinked. How did he know?

"And you actually believed her? And here I thought you were the intelligent one out of your friends."

"_Hey_!"

"Well, if you really are pro justice, then at least allow me to explain my side of the story. That is, if you don't feel too intimidated being in the presence of a murderer. I promise we'll go somewhere crowded. That way, killing you will become quite a task."

She couldn't help but notice how his voice was laced with thick sarcasm.

"...Alright then. Let's go to the Moogle ice-cream shop over there," she proposed.

"Okay."

The Moogle ice cream shops were one of the most successful shops in the world. They didn't only sell ice-creams, but also milkshakes, cute cupcakes and smoothies. As a student, the pretty bluenette loved wasting her breaks in this particular shop. Sometimes she would even bring her books and study for an hour. The moogles were always so friendly. They would always fill her cup without her noticing too.

Aqua looked over the menu in the shop and decided to try the new paopu-mango smoothie. Choosing something was always so hard; everything was delicious.

"Just so you know, I'm not gonna pay for you just because you're a woman."

"I wasn't expecting you to," she snapped, irritably, but Vanitas only smirked.

It wasn't too crowded inside, but enough to ensure her safety at least. She wasn't afraid now that there would be no witnesses if he tried something…_maniacally_.

Vanitas wasted no time; as soon as they sat down, he started talking. "I won't deny it, I'm surprised you decided to bear with me."

"Like you said, I'm pro-justice."

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><p>Vanitas's story was even more bizar than Kairi's version. Apparently, Xion had cheated on him. After that, she'd decided to leave Vanitas because she had fallen in love with the other guy, Axel. Aqua could tell from Vanitas's body language that he found it hard to talk about them.<p>

"Well, he can have her. I don't want to have _anything_ to do with a traitor. And quite frankly, I'm getting sick of people lying about me. I've never liked that red-haired bitch, but now, she's _really_ gone too far. If my sweet little brother wasn't head over heels for her, I would've killed her by now." When he spotted Aqua's shocked expression, he added, "Kidding. You people can't recognize a joke when it's dancing naked in front of you. But I can't blame you for hating her. You're not the only one."

"I never said I hated her," Aqua corrected him.

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to. You're easy to read. You hate her more than anything."

She frowned. "No, I don't."

"Come on, even you have to know by now that she's as much of an innocent princess of Light as I am."

Aqua shook her head. "You're wrong. Look, Kairi's a nice-"

"Yeah, she's a real angel in front of everyone, even if she steals your boyfriend-

"Terra's not my boyfriend!" she protested loudly, causing some unwanted attention from the few people in the shop.

"-But behind their back, she comes up with shit that will convince even you that she's the incarnation of the devil himself. Which is probably the main reason she's a redhead. She has no soul whatsoever. So don't say I didn't warn you when Terra starts treating you like crap because of her."

"That's a horrible thing to say, even for you," she chided him.

He merely shrugged as a response.

Aqua sighed. Obviously, talking to a wall was more effective. This guy already had made up his mind about hating Kairi for the rest of his life. And if he was right, then she couldn't really blame him. The problem however was that she had no idea who to believe now; Vanitas, or kairi. Usually, it was easy for her to spot liars, but with Vanitas, it was really hard to tell when he was lying. More interesting was the fact that according to vanitas, his brother was in love with Kairi. Poor soul. Aqua now knew what that boy had to feel like.

"Kairi said something else as well…" Aqua started, biting her lower lip.

"What, that I once threatened to kill her?" he asked sarcastically

"No… That the only reason you uh, hang out with me is because uhm…"

"Because _what_?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes dangerously at her.

"Because I would remind you of…"

At this, Vanitas let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, _please_! From what I've seen, you are nothing like her. Neither physically, nor mentally. If anything, Xion looks more like Kairi, except that the latter isn't that much of a useless puppet. Besides, if you had looked like her, I would've avoided you."

"Then why did Kairi say all of these-"

"Because that's what all jealous exes do, obviously."

"…_What!_?"

Her brains had to progress so much information all at once that it was hard to keep up with him.

"She couldn't stand the fact that I broke up with her and got a relationship with Xion later. And I bet it was her who told Axel about Xion in the first place. Everyone knows how much of a player Axel is. He's even more twisted than I am, and that's says enough. So you can trust me when I say that Kairi's not as sweet and innocent as you think. I've known her long enough to be sure about this one."

Well, this was really shocking. And yet she couldn't help but wonder... "Does Terra know this?"

"Most likely not. I bet Kairi chose not to tell him anything."

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><p>When they were done, Vanitas noted, "Well, since you like to be the damsel in distress, I'll walk you home. We wouldn't want you to encounter a real murderer, right?"<p>

"Oh, you don't have to-" she started, protesting politely.

"Shut up and follow me."

He already walked away before she could say more.

Aqua sighed deeply. Men… they were all morons in their own way.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter****: _"It's strange, though. I've always imagined it would be Vanitas who would break Xion's heart, not the other way around…"_**


	34. Alert

**A/N: For those who are interested, I have written a few spin-offs that focus more on Vanitas and Kairi and their relationship: "About Association and Stuff", "The Best Memories" and "Speaking Through Flowers". They're really short, so you won't miss much if you don't read them.**

**Thanks: AquaStormXIV, Lord Razer, StrawberryDemon, Guest, Kurenai no Musha, ZalelTribal, and HawkRider.**** :)**

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><p>~ <em>"It's strange, though. I've always imagined it would be Vanitas who would break Xion's heart, not the other way around…"<em>

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><p><strong>34) Alert<strong>

They say that liars can be spotted by the amount of details their stories have. They think people will believe them if they add enough unnecessary details to make it look plausible. Vanitas' story had details, but not enough to make it look like a made up story. On the other hand, he did look like the king of all liars. She wouldn't be surprised if he knew how to choose his words to make everything look real. Besides, a two-faced Kairi was impossible. It was one big dilemma that served as the perfect distraction from the sad events in her life.

So needless to say, the next day, Aqua started her little investigation on the mysterious jerk. She was now more than alert when it came to Vanitas, which was why she'd decided to pay him a visit. Granted, she didn't know where he lived exactly, but going by what little she could find about him on the internet, she was able to deduct that it was near Kairi's place. If all else failed, she could always ask one of the neighbors. Something told her that he was well-known in the neighborhood.

It was then that she realized how someone familiar was opening the fence of what was probably his own front garden.

"Sora!" she called after him, almost impressed by herself that she still remembered his name.

Surprised, the spiky-haired young man looked up. He smiled when he recognized the bluenette. "Hey, Aqua! Long time no seen! What's up?"

For a moment, she was too awestruck to say anything; He looked so much like Vanitas that it was kind of creepy. Well, except for his hair and eye-color… And of course, the fact that Vanitas never laughed. Seeing Sora smile so innocently was almost alarming. Could it be possible for them to be twins?

When she recovered, she quickly asked, "Do you live here?"

"Yeah, I'm sharing a house with my older brother, though our grandpa comes and visits as much as he can, just to see if we behave."

"I see…"

_I wonder if Vanitas has anything to do with that_, she wondered.

"But you don't live here, do you?"

"No," she replied, looking around. "I'm actually looking for someone who's supposed to live here somewhere, but I don't know which house."

"Oh, maybe I could help?"

Despite everything, Aqua had to smile. Leave it up to Sora to help her without questioning anything. He was nothing like Vanitas. If he really was Sora's brother, which was probably the case, then she felt bad for the poor guy.

"His name is Vanitas."

Sora gave her a funny look. "That's… my brother."

"Oh really?" So then her suspicions had been right after all; they actually _were_ family.

"Yeah! Remember that day we met, in the train? I had two copies of Weapons Monthly with me. One was actually for my brother, but I gave my version to him instead."

As if she could ever forget that moment. If what he said was true, which she didn't doubt one second, then Sora was truly the most selfless person she had met.

"Vanitas is away at the moment, but you could wait inside until he comes back."

Aqua nodded. "Okay."

Perhaps she could find out more about the dark-haired man through Sora. At least this way, she was sure she would get the right version of the story. Sora was bad at lying.

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><p>She had been right; Sora did tell her everything that she had to know. Aqua hadn't even asked for it. And as it turned out, Xion was actually a friend of his too, so he knew the true and full story. Sora didn't think Vanitas had anything to do with Xion's disappearance. Xion had decided to leave herself, for some unknown reason.<p>

"It's strange, though," he mused. "I've always imagined it would be Vanitas who would break Xion's heart, not the other way around…"

Apparently, his brother had been in love with Kairi in a far past. Their breakup had been very sudden and after that, they had acted very neutral against each other. No one ever found out what had transpired between them. After that, he had met Xion and they really had seemed happy together. Until that one day...

From what she'd heard from Terra and Kairi herself, Sora was nothing but a friend to Kairi. Maybe it was the same story with Terra and herself, but in this case, it was the guy who had fallen for his best female friend.

"I have to go," she suddenly said, when the walls seemed to be too close around her.

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><p>In the afternoon, when Vanitas finally came home, his brother caught him by surprise when he mentioned Aqua out of the blue.<p>

"What about her?" the dark-haired man asked, seemingly not interested.

Thank god his back was turned to him, as he took some leftovers out of the refrigerator to heat it up. This way, Sora couldn't see right through his facade.

"She was looking for you today when she bumped into me... And she wanted to know more about…your past."

Vanitas was silent for a long time, but then he said, "I see…"

He didn't even need to ask what Sora told her, since Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes would always tell the truth and nothing but the truth. It was a good thing that he didn't have anything to hide…this time.

But he had enough skeletons in his closet. Something told him that Aqua wouldn't stop digging until she found some dirt on him. That woman was too curious for her own good. Just like all of his exes, unfortunately.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter****: _"I'm not here for you, so don't get your hopes up."_**


	35. Sleeves

**A/N: Short chapter is short, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. :D**

**Thanks: ZalelTribal, Lord Razer, StrawberryDemon, and WarriorKing849.**** :)**

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><p>~ <em>"I'm not here for you, so don't get your hopes up." ~<em>

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><p><strong>35) Sleeves<strong>

Aqua sighed, resting her hands casually in her jacket's pockets (she hadn't even bothered to take it off, because she didn't expect it to take so long). Why was she here again?

"Uhm, Kairi?"

"Yes?" the redhead said from behind the curtains. She was currently fitting her weddingdress and Aqua would be the judge.

Talk about painful.

"It's not that I don't appreciate it or anything, but shouldn't you share these moments with Terra instead of me?"

Kairi laughed heartilly and her head popped up from behind the curtains for a brief moment. "I can't show him the dress before I marry him, silly. That brings bad luck."

"Oh... Right."

Of _course_.

Before the bluenette could brace herself for the moment, the bordeaux-red curtains were opening and Kairi stepped forward proudly, donned in a breathtakingly beautiful mermaid weddingdress. It hugged her figure quite nicely and Aqua was pretty sure that Terra wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her once he saw his bride, even if he wouldn't notice the small details like the floral pattern on the sleeves.

"What do you think? It's beautiful, isn't it?" When Aqua stayed silent, the younger female continued with, "Hmm... Only the sleeves may be a little too long, I agree with that, but... What do you think?"

The redhead turned, trying to see her backside in the mirror. The dress had a low back.

Aqua blinked a couple of times, but it felt as though she had forgotten how to speak. "Yeah...very nice," she finally managed to utter. "I-I should go now."

With that, she left abruptly.

Kairi tilted her head to the side, watching her retreating back. "Okaaay, what's with her?"

Then, out of the blue, Vanitas entered the shop. Kairi couldn't quite hide her chagrin. After all, the air always darkened when this guy showed up. "And what are _you _doing here?"

Last time she checked, he was single and no one wanted to date him because he was scary.

"I'm not here for you, so don't get your hopes up," the dark-haired man replied bluntly. "Sora said you forgot your purse at our place. I'm bringing it for him."

He threw the item carelessly on one of the cushioned seats nearby, making Kairi cry out, "_Watch it_, there are breakbare things in it!"

"Sue me."

Without as much as looking back, he left the shop again.

Almost at once, Kairi was hit with a flashback; _Vanitas helping her with putting on the bracelet he had bought for her, before pulling her closer to steal a kiss..._

So much had changed between them since high school. It was as though he'd become a complete different person...

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter****: _"He didn't need to feel the impact to be sure of one thing; he was going to die right then and there."_**


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